COMMANDER of Regional Police Division 4 ‘C’, Khali Pareshram, said he appreciated the support and feedback received thus far from residents within his division, and such had played a significant part in the overall improvement in service delivery to the communities.
Pareshram, during a sit-down interview with the Public Relations Officer of the Guyana Police Force, Stan Gouveia, said that prior to the Police Commissioner’s recent visit, his ranks were constantly engaged with the residents to strengthen the bonds of friendship and mutual trust between the police and the public.
That relationship, according to the Commander, had since improved following the Commissioner’s visit, and, as a consequence, youths of various villages along the East Coast of Demerara had expressed their interest in joining the different youth groups and scout groups.
“It is a critical step taken by the residents to allow their children to work with the Police as they can now see the fruits of the work done. In addition to that, several youths are involved in cricket, athletics, and football as our engagements continue to increase since our last engagement.”
When asked about parents or guardians being hesitant to allow their children to be part of the activities, the Commander said that it was the job of the Police to give service to the community despite negative remarks about indoctrinating the youths.
As it related to the Force’s Strategic Plan 2022-2026, Commander Pareshram highlighted that there had been several Memoranda of Agreement and Understanding signed with stakeholders and agencies to assist in the development of police officers to better function in their capacity.
With the evolution of the Police Force, at a very fast rate, the “ranks must work as one with the various stakeholders and agencies”.
He added that with the emerging infrastructural development in the region, the expansion of new housing schemes and industrial areas, systems must be put in place to deal with challenges that may arise.
Because of this, there is a continued push to work collaboratively and build strong partnerships to maintain safer communities. He noted that the residents were consistently asking for increased police presence.
According to the Senior Superintendent, residents constantly contact his office whenever they observe suspicious activities.
“The residents have been cooperating and fully supportive of the necessary initiatives that have been put in place as we continue to solidify partnerships,” he posited.
According to Pareshram, “one can positively say that the actions of the residents show that the gap of trust is improving between the police.”
COMMUNITY OPERATIONS
“As it relates to Police Operations in the Division, we are no longer doing ‘cordon and search’ operations like we used to do in the past, instead, our operations are more targetted and intelligence-led,” noted Pareshram.
He said intelligence gathering and using information technology had allowed the ranks to be sure of a particular area before conducting operations.
Nevertheless, the Commander took the opportunity to implore residents to continue to exercise patience and cooperate with the ranks for the benefit of everyone.