In an effort to better manage traffic and promote road safety, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has received $50 million worth of modern equipment to utilise in the execution of daily operations.
The items include speed guns with cameras, wheel clamps, speed radar signs, direction sensing radars, portable speed bumps and 20 tablets to record data.
Apart from the Force, the Ministry of Public Works, received digital speed measuring devices and LED powered yield and stop signs, amounting to an additional $25 million.
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Country Representative, Lorena Solórzano Salazar handed over the items to Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken on Thursday during a ceremony at the GPF Headquarters, Eve Leary.
The equipment were procured with funds remaining following the completion of the Sheriff to Mandela road project, which was funded by the IDB.
The equipment will be distributed across the various policing divisions across the country. But before this is done, Traffic Chief, Senior Superintendent Mahendra Singh told the News Room that they would have to be calibrated.
“What was given to us has not been quality assured to calibrate. So the technical people will now assess them…and we will now proceed to have them calibrated and/or deployed appropriately in areas where speeding is contributing to most if not all of the accidents,” Singh said.
More importantly, he said the equipment are in keeping with modern technology.
“So we more than appreciate what was given to us and we will put it together to achieve a desired effect and as we will them into use you will know,” Singh said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ravindradat Budhram gave assurance that the equipment will be “properly” cared and maintained.
“These equipment will be properly placed in our inventory, will be cared and used in the appropriate manner.
“We will use it at the best of our ability to ensure lives are saved on our roads,” Budhram said.
The safe use of the country’s roadway is an ongoing effort which is being promoted through various initiatives by the authorities.
However, to effectively address this issue, Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill said there is a need for a change in culture at the individual level as it relates to traffic and the use of the roadways.
“It got to start with peer pressure. We got to talk to each other. If you drinking tonight sir, you can’t drive.
“…We got to calm people down…So these items that are being handed over is an intervention that is designed to deal with these who can’t control themselves,” Edghill said.
Similar sentiments were echoes by Ms Salazar, who said citizens also ought to be conscious in the manner in which they traverse on the roads.
“We at the IDB will continue to support in this effort in this effort, ensuring safer and more orderly roadways because it’s better to lose one minute in life than a life in one minute,” she said.
