CRIME STOPPERS PROGRAMME STUMPED

Businesses Not Showing Interest - Rohee

The business community has shunned the government's crime stoppers
programme, one of three major security projects which were introduced
to the nation over the past three years but are yet to take off.

Two other projects, the ambitious drug strategy master plan and the
Citizen Security Programme have also had a long shelf life. On
Wednesday the latter will be finally launched.

In an interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA)
recently, Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee acknowledged that the
administration had been pushing for the Crime Stoppers Programme to
be implemented but it has not been receiving support from the private
sector. "It's not because of the lack of will on the government part.
I have been aggressively pushing for this programme to come on stream
but you see, the Crime Stoppers Pro-gramme internationally, is based
on the involvement of the private sector," Rohee was quoted by GINA as saying.

He said the administration gave leadership in terms of helping to
guide the framework or the various steps that are required for the
Crime Stoppers Programme to be established. "We have done these
things. Government has brought the stakeholders together, given them
the necessary guidance and the pathway both domestically and
internationally to get the programme established," the security minister said.

Rohee observed that the businessmen had a mindset of paying more
attention to their business entities than to matters such as these
"but I think there is a lack of an appreciation of the interaction
and interconnection between their businesses and this programme," the
Home Affairs Minister reasoned.

The Home Affairs Minister said if the businessmen are yet to
understand the importance of the programme then it's a lack of will
and noted that as Minister of Home Affairs he may have to engage the
community once again, to ensure the programme is launched as soon as possible.

The programme facilitates the passage of information regarding
criminal activity from citizens to the police, based on anonymity and
it has been successful in reducing and preventing crime worldwide.
Tipsters are paid for information through banks without the identity
of the tipster ever being known. Last year Rohee had announced that
the programme would have been launched in August.

Noting the $50M reward that has been offered for Rondell Rawlins,
Rohee said if the Crime Stoppers Programme was in place with the
anonymity of the phone number, it could have contributed
significantly to persons having some level of comfort and confidence.

Since the January 26 slaying of 11 people at Lusignan, the
administration has been scrambling to accelerate the various security
schemes and strategies that had been left on the shelf for the past
several years. Considerable efforts are being made now to activate
the three million pounds Sterling British-funded Security Sector
Reform Action Plan, which promises sweeping reforms in the Guyana
Police Force (GPF) among other areas. However, while the
administration moves with speed to implement this plan, there are
others sitting in the offices of security officials which have not
gotten off the ground.

Back in July last year Rohee announced that the crime stoppers
programme would have been launched the following month, but this fell
through. At the time of his announcement last year GINA had reported
that the local steering committee had been able to meet the necessary
requirements for the launching of the programme.

"The last report I received from our steering committee is that they
are on track to meet the August deadline. All things that were
requested also from the other committees have been met," GINA quoted
Rohee as saying then. The business community was to play a critical
role in providing the rewards for citizens who would call in with
vital tips on the commission of crimes and criminals.

The programme works on three components: the community, the media and
the police with the residents forming the foundation. The media's
role is to assist in highlighting unsolved crimes and they can also
regularly promote the special Crime Stoppers telephone numbers.

The crime stoppers programme is currently on stream in 20 countries
including the United States, Australia, South Africa, Canada, the
United Kingdom, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. If one witnesses or
knows about a crime, a 1-800 toll-free number will be made available
for that person to call. Whoever is reporting the crime will never be
required to provide their name, or to testify in court. A secret code
number will be given to that person at the time the report is made
and that would be the basis by which the person would be identified.
Depending on the level of action taken, such as an arrest or
conviction, or the number of items seized and their value, the size
of the reward the person receives would be determined.

Crime Observatory

Meanwhile, on Wednesday the $20 million IDB-funded Citizen Security
Programme, which seeks to help Guyana arrest the rise in violent
crime and insecurity, will be launched after being in the public
domain since 2006. The programme will help strengthen the Ministry of
Home Affairs and modernise the Guyana Police Force. It will also
promote social development in disadvantaged communities in Regions
Four and Six.

A key part of the programme, which was outlined last year by Rohee,
is the establishment of a "crime observatory" to monitor trends in
crime and violence and collect the data the Ministry of Home Affairs
and the GPF need to plan, implement and evaluate citizen security
policies and strategies. The programme will include technical
assistance, training and computer hardware and software to create the
information system and to support the development of staff of the
MoHA's policy and research unit. It will also promote improvements to
the ministry's overall administration and performance.

With regard to the GPF it will receive support for training in crime
investigation and detection, information management, case management,
recruit training, neighbourhood policing, and human rights. Resources
will be provided to build and equip a crime laboratory and training
facilities, remodel police stations and develop a new urban traffic
management plan, according to the project document.

The programme will also help the GPF improve its internal
organisation and administration, including planning, budgeting,
accounting, auditing, human resource management and procurement as
well as assist the police in developing partnerships with
communities. At present, Khemraj Rai is the coordinator of the
secretariat, replacing Denise De Souza.

Government had initially promised to launch the programme at the end of 2006.

Master Plan

Launched since 2005 with much fanfare, the National Drug Strategy
Master Plan is still to make an impact, although Rohee has promised
to do a review of it next month. Weeks into his role as Home Affairs
Minister, Rohee had told this newspaper in an interview that he would
be "tough on drug lords". He said he had "a large reservoir of
contacts which could be used to explore possibilities of cooperation
in the fight against crime," and pledged to deploy his considerable
political and international experience with neighbouring countries.
Two years later not much has happened in those areas. Cocaine
continues to pour though Guyana's porous air and maritime ports.

The $650 million strategy seeks to amend laws dealing with electronic
surveillance and wiretapping. It provides for expert scientific
evidence from foreign jurisdictions being made admissible in the
local courts. Several security experts had told this newspaper that
the wiretapping legislation would help reduce the drug problem and
could contribute in large measure to the arrests of many drug dealers.

The plan also encompassed increasing the joint enforcement presence
at the nine ports of entry, the establishment of an enforcement port
near the Orinoco Delta and other locations and increased surveillance
at the Bartica, Anna Regina, Linden and Enmore airstrips, none of
which has materialised.

The strategy had envisaged that in the first year, the secretariat
would be established and funding sources - local, bilateral and
multilateral would be identified. The Joint Intelligence
Coordina-tion Centre (JICC) was also to be operationalised in the
first year and the Immigration and Criminal Investigation Department
computerised. It was only recently government set up an inter-agency
task force on drugs and guns. The task force comprises members of the
GPF, army, Guyana Revenue Authority, the Financial Intelligence Unit,
the Custom Anti-Narcotics Unit and other bodies.

Additionally, the drug plan calls for the completion of outstanding
legislative requirements covering narcotics, money laundering and
food and drugs, together with the relevant regulations. Work has
begun in this area.