President Irfaan Ali said that Guyana is on high alert for any spillover from the gang violence that has taken hold of neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago. And he said the country is working with regional partners to ensure the safety and security of its citizens.
President also said that government has been investing heavily in boosting its security infrastructure to withstand any threats. A state of emergency was declared in Trinidad & Tobago on Monday. President Irfaan Ali speaking at a news conference on Tuesday said that Guyana is working with regional partners, “to ensure that our collective system protects our population.”
Guyana’s head-of-state at his presser outlined that Guyana is a member of the Regional Security System (RSS), so discussions in relation to what is happening in Trinidad is done through that avenue. “So I know there are discussions going on within the regional security architecture. Of course, there are measures to look for consequential effects. I want to put it that way. There were discussions examining some of the possible threats and ensuring that our systems are rigid enough to avoid such threats. But working also with regional partners to ensure that our collective system protects our population,” President Ali stated.
He underscored that he is aware of how criminal elements operate when pressured in their territory. President Ali explained, “Because as criminal feel pressured in their territory, they look for new territory. That is how the criminal entity operate. So as there is push factor, so they look for new territory when they feel threatened in their existing territory, and as they come to territory, they try to grow the network to own more territory.” However, he underscored that the gang-violence in T&T is a great concern to all Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member state. He added, “We are very integrated and closely knitted community across the CARICOM region.”
Notably, in relation to Guyana’s preparedness President Ali underscored that there is a misconception to the successes in Guyana in relation to crime fighting. “I really want to congratulate the Guyana Police Force, all the officers and so on who are working diligently to help us to fight crime,” he said.
Ali went on to highlight some initiatives that has helped reduced crime in Guyana. He said that the entire region is paying attention to the movement of gangs, the transfer of weapons and the expansion of gangs. ”And so we have to be mindful of this so what we have done in 2024 is expand the safe city project, we have state-of-the art surveillance system in many of the important locations now especially the urban centers,” he said.
Ali highlighted government’s investments in drones for the ‘Eye in the Sky’ programme which he said has been very successful. The government also launched a new programme where the CCTV is connected to big screens, outside key areas like Stabroek Market so citizens can be aware of potential threats. “We are also modernising our fleet, we have 19 advanced marine vessels now,” he said. President Ali explained that the vessels improve authorities’ reaction time, and would not be hampered by the usual traffic congestion along the East Bank and East Coast Corridor. “We’ll have landing pods to help in terms of chase and advancing our work,” he added. Further, the president highlighted that local authorities have been involved in numerous training programmes with regional bodies. “If you look at some of the results the crime rate reduced by 13.6% for the year 2024 when compared to 2023,” he outlined.
