Crime Chief Leslie James said the Police have already cracked a number of cases with the new Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) gifted to them by the United States Government through its Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), which was launched in 2010.
Speaking briefly at the equipment handing over ceremony, James related that the new system has been tested and has assisted the Force in making major breakthroughs in numerous cases. These include three murder cases, 53 break and enter and larceny cases, three simple larceny cases and four robberies under arms. He said “this piece of equipment will take us a long way in the crime fight and in my report to you, it is clear that we will be having successes”.
He too pointed out that there has been an increase in public trust since the Force began using the equipment. He expressed thanks to the US representatives for the initiative and all other efforts to foster a robust relationship between the two countries.
United States Ambassador to Guyana, D Brent Hardt counted it a privilege when he formally handed over the equipment to the Guyana Police Force on Tuesday at Eve Leary. AFIS is the world’s leading international standard for criminal investigation and rapid identification and will assist prosecutors in building solid cases against suspects by providing unequivocal evidence against them. In his address to the gathering, which included police officers and stakeholders, Ambassador Hardt related that since the advent of the CBSI, the United States and Guyana have enjoyed mutual benefits on many successful programmes. The CBSI is one pillar of the US security strategy focused on citizen safety throughout the hemisphere.
Massive undertaking
Hardt told the gathering that experts have been working with the Guyana Police Force in a “massive undertaking” to transform the record system into a new centralised high-quality database. According to him, records will not disappear from the new system. The Ambassador said the new system has many advantages, which include increased public trust for both the Guyana Police Force and the justice system.
In his address, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee said the new system is a very important one to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) branch. He said the Guyana Government values highly the contributions made by the US Government. He noted that the US has been making significant contributions to the Government and People of Guyana, particularly to the security sector. “This gift from the US, through the CBSI, to the Guyana Police Force is aimed at building capacity within the organisation,” Rohee said.
He noted that improvement of the Force’s technological capacity within the organisation cannot be avoided. The Minister added that if the Force is to be on par with law enforcement agencies around the world; it must have the capacity, knowledge and tenacity to deal with the challenges presented by criminal enterprise.
