As crime and security continue to be major concerns for Guyanese, the government has announced some $47.9 billion to bolster the sector.
Making the announcement yesterday (Wednesday 26 January 2022), during the presentation of Budget 2022, Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for finance Dr. Ashni Singh stated that the investment will strengthen efforts to procure better assets and to provide more training for the security services. The rebuilding of the Brickdam Police Station has also been made a priority, according to Dr Singh.
“In 2022, $4.9 billion has been allocated to strengthen the assets of the force. In this regard, works will commence on a multi-storey building to consolidate the operations of the Brickdam Police Station which was gutted by fire in October 2021 and for which over $400 million is allocated,” Dr. Singh stated.
The Minister went on to note that the development of Information Communication Technology is of paramount importance as the government puts aside some $2.5 billion has been budgeted to expand the Safe City Programme, well beyond the boundaries of Georgetown.
Minister Singh explained that, “this investment will see the entire country being connected to CCTV cameras monitored centrally as well as at Regional Command Centres to be established across the country. Moreover, satellite phones and body cameras will be acquired to boost operational efficiency across all regional divisions.”
And in recognising that a key part of the security services success lies in training, the government has put aside a total of $120 million for training of ranks at both local and international institutions.
Additionally, $99 million is being put aside to support Community Policing Groups while Minister Singh has said the aim is to add another 175 groups to the already 176 groups that have proven to be effective across rural and hinterland communities.
Finally, The Guyana Fire Service and Guyana Prison Service both received billions to provide better services to the public.
