British
police wrapping
up training
for TSU ranks
Georgetown,
GINA, July 16,
2008
A seven-man team
from the London
Metropolitan
Police Service
which arrived in
Guyana on July 2
is wrapping up a
three-week
training of
trainers programme
for ranks of the
Guyana Police
Force, Tactical
Services Unit (TSU).
This is part of
the support from
the United Kingdom
(UK) for
Guyana’s
Security Sector
Reform (SSR)
Action Plan.
The Deputy British
High Commissioner
to Guyana Malcolm
Kirk and the team
met with
Commissioner of
Police acting
Henry Greene
yesterday when the
Deputy High
Commissioner
handed over 50
bulletproof vests
for use by ranks
of the TSU.
The British team
will submit a
report on the
training conducted
during the three
weeks in Guyana
and proposals for
additional
training to boost
the capabilities
of the Force.
Meanwhile,
training in the
use of the Global
Positioning System
devices and
related equipment,
which were handed
over to the Home
Affairs Minister
in June is
expected to start
shortly.
The British High
Commission has
been working
closely with the
Government of
Guyana on the
implementation of
the Guyana SSR
Action Plan since
the signing of the
interim Memorandum
of Understanding
in August last
year.
Police
rank undergoing
training under
supervision of
London police.
The Plan is
designed to build
the operational
capacity of the
Force to provide a
uniformed response
to serious crime
and in the areas
of forensics,
crime intelligence
and traffic
policing;
strengthen
policy-making
across the
security sector
making it more
transparent,
effective, and
better
coordinated;
create substantial
Parliamentary and
other oversight;
mainstream
financial
management and
build greater
public
participation and
inclusiveness on
security sector
issues
The Security
Sector Reform Plan
has its genesis in
a discussion
between President
Bharrat Jagdeo and
then British
Minister, and
Member of the
British House of
Lords, Valerie
Amos in May 2006.
A statement of
principles was
subsequently
agreed with the
government and
other stakeholders
as to how this
process would move
forward. In
October last year
a team of experts
in Security Sector
Reform, drawn from
Ghana, India,
Sierra Leone and
South Africa,
visited Guyana and
using previous
studies of the
sector, current
activities here,
and the experience
gained from
engagement with a
range of
stakeholders the
ideas for an
action plan was
realised.
To .date the
Police Force has
received
assistance from
the British under
the interim MOU in
the form of a new
and expanded
Criminal
Investigation Unit
equipped with
computers, the
Brickdam
Operations Room
has been boosted
with a new
computer system
and new telephones
to indicate
incoming calls and
50 radar guns that
were deployed to
Police stations
throughout the
country, while
several training
workshops which
focused on
Police/media
relations were
conducted by the
UK.
Government
Information Agency
(GINA)
