Ramjattan urges citizens to join Policing Groups to curb interpersonal violence in communities

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan believes that Community Policing Group (CPGs) can help to curb interpersonal violence in Communities. He is, therefore, calling for citizens to join the CPGs which also compliment the work of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

The Minister was at the time speaking during a press conference to highlight this year’s anniversary of community policing in Guyana under the theme, ‘Celebrating 41 years of Partnership, Supporting Reform and Development.’

Referring to the recent reports of murders and domestic violence, Ramjattan said “so, here If we do have CPGs, and they are members of the community who come and talk to the family household, ‘what happening there,’ ‘how are things’ and so on, keeping a tab on the community and we can train them to be something like social workers, their job of enforcement, supplementing the police can go a further way. That gonna help.”

There are currently 166 Community Policing Groups across the country with a total membership of 4,347 persons. In December last year conducted some 30,000 vehicular, motorcycle and other type patrols.

The work of the voluntary members led to a total of 89 arrests ranging from murder to domestic violence in 2016, the Minister disclosed.

Ramjattan said the groups would have conducted some 30 thousand patrols for last year which lead to 89 arrests ranging from domestic violence to murder was recorded through the activities of CPGS.

He observed, “the fact patrols are on the streets at night, in areas that have active CPGs is where the crime rates are very low quite frankly.”