Officers from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) recently benefitted from Training in Combating Trafficking in Persons provided by the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).
A release yesterday from the Ministry of Public Security said that INTERPOL is currently in the Training Phase of its Project to combat Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling in the Caribbean and a number of Caribbean governments have joined with it to upgrade their capacity.
In April, 2016, the release noted that the Ministerial Task Force on Trafficking in Persons welcomed INTERPOL to Guyana for a Trafficking in Persons Needs Assessment. This assessment, along with corresponding activities conducted in other Caribbean countries, gave rise to a series of training courses for officers.
From September 5-9, 2016, the release said that Superintendent E. Wray and Inspector P. Harris of the GPF’s Immigration Department and W/Sergeant 19981 Castello, Corporal 19822 Pitama and W/Constable 21232 McBean of the GPF’s Criminal Investigation Department’s (CID) Major Crimes Unit attended a ‘Victim Identification, Referral and Assistance Training’ in Trinidad and Tobago.
Trainers, the release said, sought to equip participating officers with enhanced skills in effectively detecting potential victims and responding to cases of trafficking in persons.
From September 12-15, 2016, Assistant Superintendent V. Hunte, W/Inspector A. Solomon and Corporal 18351 D. Jones Prosecutors with the GPF attended a Training Course entitled ‘Human Trafficking Training for Legal Authorities’, also in Trinidad.
This course targeted judicial authorities engaged in the prosecution of human trafficking cases.
These courses would be followed by two more regional workshops, namely, ‘Investigative Skills Training for Human Trafficking Investigations’, Parts I and II.
Following the ‘Victim Identification, Referral and Assistance Training’, the Commissioner of Police (ag), David Ramnarine, organized a local two day Training Course for thirteen Officers from the GPF’s CID, Major Crimes Unit which was held on September 26 and 27, 2016
Presentations at this training course were delivered by the Officers who benefitted from INTERPOL training along with representatives of the Ministerial Task Force on Trafficking in Persons.
