Police reform board given new strategic plan

Members of the New Police Reform Change Board, and other stakeholders of the security sector. (DPI photo)
Members of the New Police Reform Change Board, and other stakeholders of the security sector. (DPI photo)

Members of the newly formed Police Reform Change Board yesterday received the New Guyana Police Force Strategic Plan.

The Department of Public Information (DPI) said that this was done at an executive briefing which discussed the Police Reform Change Board and the New Guyana Police Force Strategic Plan.

According to the agenda for the briefing, it was done to expand stakeholders’ awareness of certain key mechanisms aimed at enhancing the work of the security sector and improving citizens’ security.

Commissioner of Police, Leslie James receives the Strategic Plan from British Security Advisor, Russell Combe (right) (DPI photo)

British Senior Security Sector Reform Advisor, Russell Combe handed over the plan to Deputy Chairman of the board, Commissioner of Police, Leslie James. The advisor underlined the United Kingdom’s (UK) commitment to helping to boost Guyana’s security sector, DPI said.

“The United Kingdom is committed to supporting this process, to supporting Guyana, in the change management of the police and the areas that we’ll be looking at in the future where additional support is necessary,” Combe stated.

In his remarks, Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan highlighted the need to have the implementation of the project expedited to avoid it being lost away on desks.

“You know I find sometimes; we suffer an inertia as a result of being given the report, after that it’s on the shelf and sometimes we have this bad habit of not ensuring that which is on the shelf is utilised, we are not going to allow that to happen here.”

The minister also referenced a recent report which spoke to managing the force’s finances and urged the use of newer budgeting models.

“There is also another priority as I see it, going through these reports and the various recommendations there, to introduce a medium-term financial plan, and this priority-based budgeting that I talk about, which focuses on funding of outcomes which deliver the greatest outcomes, for our force”, he added.