The Ministry of Home Affairs yesterday handed over five boats valued at $76.8M to the Guyana Police Force Marine Department that will enable the force to better respond to crimes on the waterways.
GINA said that the MV Baramani, which is a Coast Guard patrol boat, was acquired at the cost of $71.9M while the other four wooden patrol vessels were bought at a cost of $4.9M.
Speaking at the brief ceremony at the Coast Guard Headquarters, Ruimveldt, Police Commissioner (ag) Seelall Persaud, said that it was a happy day for the force as the new boats will add to the capacity of the force. The police have come in for severe criticisms over the last two decades for a poor crime response time.
“It is the first time in our history that we have a vessel that can actually do coastal patrol and this will go a long way in bringing relief to fishermen and other persons that operate offshore that have been threatened by piracy”, GINA reported him as saying.
The Commissioner also said that the boat will aid in joint operations between the force and other agencies such as the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard to tackle smuggling of goods, cargo that can be cleared and also illegal substances.
Several officers were trained to use the vessels earlier this year, GINA said.
Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee added that though Guyana experienced some amount of pirate attacks on fishermen over the years, especially during the period 2010 -2012 in the Corentyne River, it is important to clear up the view that Guyana is infested with pirates.
The Minister further added that this misinformation has created a hindrance in tourism activities as it relates to ships and vessels entering Guyana because it creates fear.
