Ramjattan encourages indigenous youths to join Police Force

Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan during a Government outreach to Karaudarnau Village in Region 9 at the weekend, encouraged young indigenous persons to become members of the Guyana Police Force so they can return home to better safeguard their communities.

According to the Minister, youths from the village are more equipped with the knowledge of the communities, rather than persons going to work there from the coastland.

“I want some of the brighter young graduates from the school, 18 year and above to join up the Police Force, so that they can go to the Academy in Georgetown and then they could come back, because I have found that indigenous people who have been trained and come to their community, they understand their community better than some of the policemen that are coming in from the coast,” the Minister said.

Minister Ramjattan explained that even though some of the youths from the village may not have the qualifications to join the Force, they will be accommodated as long as they are proficient in English.

The Security Minister pointed out that some indigenous people are regarded as being shy and as such, he has instructed to Administrators at the Police Training College in Georgetown to be more accommodating.

“There must not be all that mocking and sometimes taunting, these are very simple people, they live a very simple lifestyle, accommodate them,” the Minister said.

Minister Ramjattan said he expects to see young indigenous people at the next batch of intake for the Force.

“You will have a better security force if indigenous people are trained and come back to their community.”

The Public Security Minister also noted that the community policing group in the village needs to be resuscitated as the Government plans to horses to do patrols.

“We at a central level in Georgetown had arranged that we will have in these areas because of the terrain, the use of horses to ensure that they can do the patrols in these areas and also help with public security,” the Minister said.

Minister Ramjattan also informed the residents that the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) will soon be acquiring five high tech drones to further assist with border patrols.

A number of other Government ministers also visited indigenous villages in Region 9 to talk about programmes to better the communities and address issues affecting the community.