Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee says he is satisfied with the general conditions at some East Coast police stations and that government remains committed to ensuring that ranks are given the needed provisions to carry out their mandate.

A press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said Rohee visited seven police stations in ‘C’ Division, East Coast Demerara, and held discussions with four Community Policing Groups (CPGs) in the Division on Sunday. The visit was intended to ascertain the physical conditions of the stations including accommodations and the operational preparedness of ranks.

At the end of the inspection Rohee said that the general conditions at most stations were acceptable but some of the barrack room facilities and other accommodations at some compounds needed upgrading. The minister said this year’s capital budget for the police force included allocations for the improvements at several of the stations he visited. He said government was committed to ensuring that the accommodations provided for ranks are acceptable. As regard the security aspect of the compounds Rohee said some stations will need improvements since “the days for Lock-ups to be made of wood are long over.”

Meanwhile, Rohee also met with the Better Hope North, Vryheid’s Lust North, Lusignan and Unity/Lancaster CPGs. He discussed issues such as the prevalence of drug use in communities, noise nuisance and residents from the community encouraging criminals to attack other members of the community. The minister advised that youths and women from the communities should be encouraged to become involved in the community policing to assist in intelligence gathering as an alternative to getting involved in negative activities. He said too he was encouraged by the commitment of the people in the communities to persevere in providing safe living environments. He encouraged CPG members to maintain good relations with the police and to ensure that the police were kept abreast of their activities. He also assured the groups that government was committed to community policing and would ensure that they receive support in the form of both resources and training to function effectively.

According to GINA, Rohee said the visit also gave him an opportunity to meet the officers on the ground and get a ‘feel’ of the conditions under which they work. The minister also visited six stations in ‘D’ Division as well as the Mahaica Number 10, Mahaica, Cove and John, Vigilance, Beterverwagting, Sparendaam and Turkeyen stations.