Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee has said that with mining and oil exploration offering new economic opportunities, there is urgent need for a heightened level of security to ensure public safety.
Rohee made these comments in his address at a panel discussion titled “Budget Implementation” along with colleague ministers Priya Manickchand and Pauline Sukhai on NCN, the Government Information Agency (GINA) said.
The meeting was held in the wake of the National Assembly approval of $1.8B estimates in the National Budget for the ministry last Thursday.
Rohee noted that as development plans progress, Guyana is attracting more foreign investors, which calls for stronger and more effective security services.
“Our responsibility is to ensure that there is a comfort level insofar as public safety and security is concerned and for us to [do] that, the organisations that fall under the Home Affairs Ministry, the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Fire Service and Guyana Prison Service, have to be adequately financed,” he said.
The minister also cautioned that it would be naïve to believe that the society could be completely rid of crimes and deviant behaviours but he noted that continuous effort must be employed to ensure that these issues are managed in a way that allows the public to go about its business without fear.
“These are the kinds of responsibilities we have and the resources that have been allocated to us, imposes upon us the necessity to deliver higher level of service to the people of Guyana,” Rohee said.
Regarding the protection of women and children, the minister said issues such as domestic violence and other forms of abuse have always existed in Guyana; however, policy has been put in place to deal with these occurrences. “Government, under the stewardship of Minister Manickchand during her tenure as Human Services Minister, spared no effort in tackling this matter in a holistic manner; raising awareness and enacting legislation to protect vulnerable groups particularly women and children,” GINA noted.
However, Rohee acknowledged that government alone cannot successfully eradicate this societal ill and called on community members to be vigilant.
With regards to border protection, the minister said that Guyana has bilateral cooperation agreements with Brazil, Suriname and Venezuela.
Additionally, there are several task forces, comprising all the law enforcement agencies including the Guyana Defence Force which meet monthly to address border security issues.
