Guyana and IDB launch US$15 Million Security project

At the official project launch on Monday, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan said it has been long established that government and citizen partnership is most effective in tackling crime and violence. He welcomed the partnership with the IADB and said crime and violence are no doubt a major obstacle to human co existence.

Guyana and IDB launch US$15 Million Security project

Implementation of a US$15 million loan initiative between the Guyana Government and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) aimed at tackling crime and violence in the country, will intensify in the coming weeks.

A total of US$5.7 million will be spent on community crime and violence prevention.

Another US$5.5 million will go towards strengthening the Guyana Police Force crime prevention and investigation capacity while US$2.3 million will be utilized to strengthen the Guyana Prison Service rehabilitation and social reintegration services.

The agreement pushes for improvement of the police’s capabilities to investigate homicides, burglaries and robberies.

Under the programme, the Prison Service’s effectiveness in reducing offender relapse will be improved while several studies, both at the community and national levels, will be financed.

The agreement, Citizen Security Strengthening Program (CSSP), was first signed in February 2015 by the former People’s Progressive Party government and commenced implementation last month. This program will run for five years and is being implemented by the Ministry of Public Security and managed by the Inter American Development Bank. 

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At the official project launch on Monday, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan said it has been long established that government and citizen partnership is most effective in tackling crime and violence. He welcomed the partnership with the IDB and said crime and violence are no doubt a major obstacle to human co existence.

“Over last decade, crime and violence had become an issue of concern for every one… homicide rates increased dramatically since 2000. In 2013 robbery rates and domestic violence rates went up… perception of citizen insecurity had also increased and the perception of police not doing a good job had increased while citizens’ willingness to assist the police had decreased,” Ramjattan said.

He welcomed the project, saying it “comes at an opportune moment.”

Meanwhile, IDB Country Representative Sophie Makonnen said the project is a demonstration of the Bank’s commitment to helping the Guyana Government fight crime and violence.

She said crime and violence are posing serious challenges for governments throughout the region and the IDB is happy to assist.

The IDB has been working with Guyana to tackle crime and violence since 2006 under the Citizen Security Program where collaborative efforts were undertaken to address the pressing risk factors for crime and violence.

The government has undertaken a number of initiatives to strengthen the security sector with the aim to reduce crime and improve citizens’ security nationwide.

These initiatives include legislative reforms, strategic planning, operational improvements, human resource capacity building and cross border alliances among other. (Kurt Campbell)

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