The Liliendaal Declaration on Crime Prevention published in this newspaper last Sunday is a magnificent statement of intent. It is the outcome of the two-day National Crime Prevention Conference convened by the Ministry of Home Affairs in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank and held under the theme ‘Making Our Communities Safe.’
Marco Carlo Nicola, the Bank’s representative, told the conference that the Bank had approved the Citizen Security Programme, launched last February, which aims at enhancing citizen security and coexistence by contributing to the reduction of the level of crime, violence and fear in Guyana. He explained that violence generates violence and escalating spirals of violence in turn generate significant social and economic costs in terms of economic growth, decreased social capital, worsening poverty and increased inequality.
Nicola emphasised that building the capacity of the Guyana Police Force and Ministry of Home Affairs was important to prevent crime, but must be supported by strong community-based intervention strategies that would strengthen informal social control mechanisms, help to enhance social solidarity and cooperation and promote community participation.
Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee acknowledged that the country and the security sector have been faced with threats from the international and local drug trade, violence that accompanies the drug trade, escalation of violent crimes including murders and robberies, international terrorism and its negative consequences, involvement and exploitation of youth in crime and domestic violence and its negative social consequences. He admitted to the conference that, for Guyana’s crime prevention strategy to be effective, the Ministry of Home Affairs had to be modernised, the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Prison Service had to be reformed, the justice sector had to be improved and there needed to be better legislation.
If, indeed, Rohee believes so strongly that the drug trade has been such a significant contributor to crime and violence in Guyana, how can he explain his ministry’s non-implementation of the all-but-expired National Drug Strategy Master Plan 2005-2009? Equally, if the reform of the security sector – including his ministry and the police and prison services – is essential to the country’s crime prevention strategy, how can he justify the decision to discontinue the DfID-funded Guyana-Britain Security Sector Reform Action Plan?
At first glance, it is difficult to understand how and when the Liliendaal Declaration’s 25 clauses – which include the prevention of crime, violence and security; police management; community participation; international co-operation and follow-up – will be implemented.
When President Bharrat Jagdeo received the report of the National Consultation on Crime nearly seven years ago in January 2003, he told the steering committee “I am sure it would also further enhance the relationship between the communities and our security forces. Members of the steering committee and the general public who contributed to this process are assured that this report will receive full deliberation and they will be kept informed of the progress.”
When he launched the now expiring Guyana National Drug Strategy Master Plan four and a half years ago in June 2005, he declared, “…at the end of the day the responsibility to implement the strategy is ours. And we shall not shirk from our obligations.”
This time around, the President told the Liliendaal conference, “We’re trying to create a society that is safe for all of our people and I can assure you that all this valuable work that you’ve done over the past two days would be taken seriously by the executive of this country. We are going to look at your recommendations. We’re going to find ways of operationalising them as quickly as possible…”
The nation is waiting.
