In its efforts to reduce the number of suicides in Guyana, the Guyana Police Force’s suicide hotline has been utilized more than 200 times. Javone Vickerie Reports.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that each year approximately one million people die from suicide, which represents a global mortality rate of 16 people per 100,000 or one death every 40 seconds. Senior Psychologist within the Mental Health Unit of the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Balogun Osunbiyi was quoted in the media stating that the country’s suicide rate, which can be an end result of untreated mental illness, dropping from 44.2 percent per 100,000 people in 2012 to 24.6 per cent per 100,000 persons in recent years. However, on Wednesday, Commissioner of Police Leslie James explained that the force’s suicide hotline has seen an influx of calls from persons who express frustration and several forms of depression.
Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police Leslie James expressed the opinion that communication plays an important component in the force’s security strategy. Already, ranks were exposed to foreign language training. But in 2019, selected ranks will be trained to speak and interpret native languages. This he said will help the police in key interior locations.
