During his feature address at the opening of the four-day Inspectors and Sergeants conference yesterday, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn urged the law enforcers to be ‘peace makers’ saying that without peace there won’t be progress.
Benn said: “If we do not have peace in Guyana, we will not have progress, we will not have prosperity.” The minister further noted that having peace will guarantee progress, which will essentially guarantee prosperity for the future generations.
“If peace is not guaranteed, all else will fail,” he posited.
“You are the peacemakers; you are peace officers; you are peace officers in a multiethnic, multiracial, dynamic, and young country, and most of our population are young people”, Benn admonished.
The conference which made its grand return after a 12-year pause is being held under the theme, ‘Developing Middle Management for Greater Efficiency through Strategic Partnerships, Accountability, and Performance’ and it saw a number of inspectors and sergeants from the various divisions across Guyana attending where they were promised by Benn continued support in the strengthening of their bond with members of the public.
The minister further charged the law enforcers to be the ‘peacemakers’ as they continue to perform their jobs in their various divisions. “You are the peacemakers; you are peace officers; you are peace officers in a multiethnic, multiracial, dynamic, and young country, and most of our population are young people.”
According to the address, he also said that a ‘welcome sign’ should be placed at the entry of every Police Station or Outpost since they are the ones who regularly serve the public “regardless of how bad or problematic they may be or if they suffer from mental or other problems.”
Benn said that as his ministry tries to improve the well-being of police officers by additional training and resources which include vehicles, modern police stations and the environment at large, the attitude of ranks to the public is also expected to improve.
He said that various crimes have decreased for the last two years due to the cooperation and respect the force has managed to gain due to its relationship with the public.
“I want to recognise the achievements we’ve had in the last two years, where we have reduced crime and violence by 20% in Guyana, where we have reduced road traffic deaths below 100 persons dead on the roadways after 16 years of carnage on our roads, in spite of an increase in vehicles and practical challenges, we have done those things, the police force has done those things,” the minister said.
Acting Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken in his brief remarks stated that the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) will be working during the conference to ensure that strategies are implemented and that certain gaps are filled amongst inspectors and sergeants who are on the road to success.
