By Isaiah Braithwaite
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, (DPI) – Government of Guyana is working on the establishment of a police academy aimed at building the capacity of the Guyana Police Force (GPF). The academy intends to not only provide training for local policemen and women, but also those in the region.
President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali made the revelation at the opening of the Annual Police Officers’ Conference on Thursday, noting that discussions are ongoing.
“We are in detailed discussions with many of our development partners in the developed world and in the developing world also on their experiences in this and we are pursuing a path on the development of a police academy,” president Ali stated.
He said the government will enhance the force’s crime-fighting capabilities to align them with international best practices and standards. For this, he noted that investments will be made for the professional development of ranks.
“A better-trained force will be in a much stronger position to deliver the result which is required… There can be no place for brute, force and ignorance in policing, it is also unacceptable for the police to be rude and ill-mannered to the public.”
At present, several ranks are undertaking studies through the government’s Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) and at the University of Guyana.
Additionally, budget 2022 has allocated $120 million towards training and development of ranks. The training includes train the trainers at$5.7 million, safety and security management diplomas, $9.8 million and strategic intelligence gathering at $6.2 million.
There are also degree programmes in public management at $19 million, a bridging course to qualify for the advance security management master’s at $16.9 million and $10.8 million for training in cyber security.
