President, Dr. Irfaan Ali said that the use of technology and people-centered policing are essential to the future of the Guyana Police Force (GPF). As such, he announced that work is currently underway to expand the Smart City programme, which will see greater technological use, including surveillance cameras, to aid crime-fighting and intelligence gathering.
The Head of State made these assertions yesterday afternoon, as he delivered the feature address at the handing over ceremony of a Computer Training Centre at Cove and John Police Station on the East Coast of Demerara.
He said that as crime changes, the approach to fighting crime will also have to change through the use of greater intelligence gathering and better surveillance, executed by well-trained professionals.
“We understand that the nature of crime is changing globally and as such will change locally as a more prosperous country becomes a target for more sophisticated criminals.”
President Ali noted that cross-border collaboration is necessary and that relationships with other countries have led to drug busts at the regional level over the past months. He pointed out that these took strategic planning—and will be part of the country’s strategic positioning moving forward.
LEAD BY CREATING A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
The President said that the GPF has to lead by creating a learning environment—even if it means unlearning or re-learning methods.
“That is why easy access to technology and the training component that comes with it is such an important part of un-learning and re-learning to meet the future requirement demand. Part of leading is to create an efficient environment, one in which people have belief in the systems and one in which the system itself is efficient, not where files are misplaced and lost. One in which there is traceability, so that… there is greater accountability. That is what technology helps us to do–that is the direction we’re heading in.”
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces said that a change in attitude and mindset is also an important part of leading. As such, he acknowledged that his Government has a responsibility to improve the environment in which the men and women in uniform operate.
ENABLING ENVIRONMENT
“A positive environment will also create a positive mindset. We are embarking on a massive programme to create that environment. You will see in the communication strategy, we have brought in professionals in that area so that we have a merge of different capabilities and strengths so that we can have a better product that comes out.”
