Challenges of the GPF

At an awards ceremony held at the Tactical Services Unit tarmac at Eve Leary last week, Police Commissioner Henry Greene disclosed that criminals’ access to high-powered weapons was “giving police a headache”. For this year, so far, the force has managed to seize 105 illegal firearms, as against more than 112 in 2008 and 96 in 2009. The commissioner remarked that, with the smuggling of guns from countries such as Venezuela, Brazil and the United States, through Guyana’s expansive waterways, more people were getting access to illegal firearms, which are being used to commit crimes.                                                                              

A few years ago, similar sentiments were expressed by Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, who also disclosed that Guyana’s borders were too porous to man, thus smuggling flourished. In subsequent years, attempts were made to combat intra-border crimes and gun smuggling through collaborative efforts with other countries. Just how much progress has been made under these joint efforts is uncertain, but the local police force will clearly have to give more serious thought to curbing or reducing gun smuggling internally. 

Admittedly, gun smuggling is part of organised crime, which has been getting more elaborate and even more organised. Criminals are outwitting the police, who, due to resource constraints, cannot keep up with the level of operation the criminals employ, and the movements of the criminals. What makes the combating of gun smuggling more challenging in Guyana’s case is that most of the country is forested, which is of itself a hindrance to fighting serious crimes, as conducting anti-crime operations is challenging in this difficult terrain. And as the police said, the expansive waterways can be challenging to monitor adequately. It is therefore naïve to think that combating smuggling is going to be a walk in the park when these obstacles exist. 

Nevertheless, law enforcers must do more, and be more intuitive in reducing gun smuggling amidst these and other constraints. One of the ways they can do this is through intelligence-sharing with other countries, mostly those countries from which guns are obtained; and then through local intelligence gathering, to determine when and where along the borders these guns are being smuggled. Law enforcers will not be able to comb the forests, but they can do something along the borders to stop guns from reaching the inhabited areas, for they will know exactly where the smuggling takes place. 

Essentially, our main strategies to fight gun smuggling are enhanced border patrols and using the limited manpower and other resources effectively. Once better or more accurate intelligence is acquired, the soldiers and police will be better able to get a firm grip on gun smuggling. 

Therefore, as it relates to the borders being too porous to man, this is the main challenge to be overcome. This is where the security forces must direct their attention. Earlier this year, it was said at a soldiers’ conference that the military will have to shift its traditional focus from being strictly military to ensure better use of the country’s resources. As was stated subsequently, this shift is not necessary, as the army can simply enlarge its responsibilities along its traditional mandate. In addition to protecting the border, soldiers can be better used to tackle some of the country’s most challenging internal problems, of which gun smuggling is one. 

As we see it, the soldiers will not have too much free time on hand if this is the context in which they would operate. If they focus their attention on protecting the country by making inroads into some of the problems that affect citizens on the Coastal Plain, their contribution towards the security of the country would be significantly enhanced.  They will become part of the network that solves society’s problems; only that they would be solving these problems by preventing the passage of illicit goods at the borders rather than on the mainland. That could help reduce the headache for the police.