[www.inewsguyana.com] – Minister of Public Security and Second-Vice President Khemraj Ramjattan has several plans to propel the security sector, one of which targets women playing a better leadership role in the force in confronting issues such as gender and domestic violence which are prevalent locally.
Addressing executives of the Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce and members of the Upper Corentyne Fishermen’s Coop Society Limited at a meeting held on Wednesday, June 24, Minister Ramjattan said the ministry will be working with the Canadian and British Governments, to provide capacity based training, specific to females within the force to deal with these issues.
A survey that was commissioned in 2012 by the Ministry of Human Services in collaboration with the United Nation’s Population Fund revealed that the lifetime prevalence of physical violence against women was highest at 77 percent in Region Six, followed by 65 percent in Region Four and 63 percent in Region Ten.
The study revealed that most of the victims suffered injuries, ill health and were unable to work, while 50 percent of them were sexually abused by their intimate partner during the course of their lives.
Meanwhile as part of Government’s effort to restore public confidence in the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Minister Ramjattan is emphasising the importance of ensuring ‘quality’ ranks are recruited to serve. The Minister said that the new administration intends to carry out rigorous background checks on new recruits.
“We want quality policemen and so we are going to vet in a better manner the recruits that are going to come in the police force,” the Minister said. He pointed out that quality recruits will ensure fewer rogue cops in the force, a situation for which the new administration has zero tolerance, he noted.
He pointed to his dismissal, immediately after taking office, of Mohanram Dolai and Narine Lall who were found criminally liable of burning the genitals of 15- year-old Tywon Thomas in 2009.
Despite their actions, these two cops were promoted, one from Constable to Sergeant and the other from a Sergeant to an Inspector. “That is what the last administration did, and quite a lot of you here did not utter one word,” he pointed out.
Minister Ramjattan said that the new administration is against such behaviour and will instead work to ensure honest cops and better community-policing relations.
Whilst in Region Six, the Minister also met and engaged the different chapters of the Community Policing Groups (CPGs). Minister Ramjattan underscored the need to have good community- policing relationship at each of these meetings. [Extracted and modified from GINA]
