Residents of Profitt/Foulis, West Coast Berbice have suggested that members of the policing groups in the area should be placed at the various stations to assist the police officers.
They were at the time meeting with Commander of ‘B’ Division, Stephen Merai during an outreach visit to the area on Friday.
Among the other senior officers present during the visit were Deputy Commander Wrenford Johnson, Senior Superintendents, Dereck Young and Stephen Mansel, officer in charge of the Fort Wellington Police Station.
A resident pointed out that if he goes late to the Weldaad Police Station he would only find one officer. He suggested that members of the Community Policing Groups be at the station to assist the rank, at least on weekends.
In his address the commander asked persons to co-operate with the police and to come forward with information regarding criminal activities including drug trafficking. He told them that they can help to rid the communities of drugs, which have been destroying the lives of young residents.
Merai said cows roaming the roadways have been contributing to accidents and that he would “look for the owners” through the brands so that they can face the penalties.
He said too that at a meeting with cattle owners on the Corentyne he had told them they would face harsh punishment if their animals are caught on the road and since then “there has been a marked reduction.”
The issue of persons, especially children, riding bicycles without lights at night was also raised and residents asked that the police patrol the area and look for those persons. The residents were then informed that at a campaign conducted in another area the police seized 50 bicycles.
Some of the other concerns raised by the residents were about the theft of their livestock and about pigs destroying their rice fields.
Residents were also concerned about children leaving home to go to school and ending up elsewhere and the commander promised that his officers would be keeping an eye out for those delinquent students. There was also the issue of “big boys” hanging around the schools and interfering with the female students.
Merai also assured that residents that programmes for youth would be started to keep them out of trouble adding that youth clubs and scout groups have already been established.
