Police, NYPD in historic MoU
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the New York Police Department (NYPD) which will see the sharing of experiences and best practices tailored to the law enforcement needs of this country.
US Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot in her remarks said that the MoU solidifies the commitment and bilateral partnership of the US and Guyana to address shared security challenges under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative.
She also stated that this timely initiative is in support of the GPF’s implementation of its 2022-2026 Strategic Management Plan and will run simultaneously with an ongoing programme aimed at the GPF Training Academy achieving international accreditation. The Ambassador believes this partnership to be “holistic, strategic and beneficial in addressing crime, violence, illicit trafficking, homicide and gender based violence that threaten Guyana’s security”.
Theriot announced plans for the return of the NYPD to Guyana in a few months to commence the training programme as well as for a cohort of GPF officers to travel to New York before the end of the year to participate in a practical study tour of the NYPD’s Training Facility. Theriot expressed gratitude for the support being afforded to the GPF in its efforts to create “a more inclusive criminal justice system”.
Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn expressed his appreciation for the programme and highlighted some challenges facing the GPF in tackling rising crime rates
as well as the GPF’s need for the application of higher level systems and training to meet such goals. The Minister also expounded on the GPF’s dedication to learning integral lessons from the NYPD, which he
deemed a “good bilateral partner”, in addition to the plans for renaming the “Guyana Police Force” to the “Guyana