Police Force receives 5000 Body cams from Government to aid transparency

With the hope of pushing better policing, the Government of Guyana today handed over 5,000 body cams to the Guyana Police Force as part of its efforts to improve transparency and accountability in the Force.

The high-tech body cameras, which are both dust and water resistant with a storage capacity of 256GB and have wifi capabilities, were handed over by President Irfaan Ali to the Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken at State House today in the presence of the Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn.

“Today, we will be handing over 5,000 of these cameras, 5,000 cameras to the Guyana Police Force. So, there is absolutely no excuse whatsoever from the Guyana Police Force or our men and women in the field not having, not being equipped with these cameras when conducting their duties and responsibilities,” the President said.

Noting that the body cams will significantly improve transparency and accountability in the Police Force, President Ali said the technology would be used to clearly capture the police’s interaction with the public.

“We want the Guyana Police Force to be of service, we want the Guyana Police Force to be a service oriented organization and part of that is for us to continuously work on improving the service device delivery. A big part of improving service delivery is monitoring and evaluation, transparency and accountability but also at the same time giving our police officers, our men and women in uniform the tools to make their jobs easier, the tools that would allow them also to hold people accountable for their action. It is not only the police action but the citizenry,” the President explained.

Minister Benn said undoubtedly the body cams would improve the quality of service provided by the Guyana Police Force, and will also help to enhance the public’s trust in the Force.

“We are aware that even where there maybe deficiencies and human failings that the question of technology could add to the servitude of delivering service that our citizens require and to build trust and confidence in respect of the work that we do in improving the lives and protection of the citizens of the country,” Minister Benn said.

The Commissioner of Police assured both President Ali and the Minister of Home Affairs that the body cameras will be used for their intended purpose.

The Government has been using various forms of technology to improve policing within the country. Just recently, it launched an automated ticketing system to enhance road safety. A number of CCTV cameras have also been mounted to monitor key areas, particularly those prone to crime.