– says Guyana’s security budget increases by 154% between 2019 to 2024
…draft CARICOM’s Arrest Warrant Bill completed

President Dr Irfaan Ali has disclosed that between 2019 and 2024, Guyana’s budgetary allocations in the security sector have increased by a whopping 154 per cent – funds that he believes could have been redirected to other critical areas that could enhance the social welfare of citizens.
The Head of State was at the time speaking at the Second Regional Symposium: Violence as a Public Health Issue – The Crime Challenge held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), Greater Georgetown on Friday. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has classified crime as a public health issue, recognising its profound economic and social ramifications on member states.
It was against this backdrop that President Ali, using Guyana as an example, highlighted the social and financial impact that crime has on countries. He pointed out how Guyana’s bill for the security sector has massively increased over the years, taking away resources that could have otherwise been injected into improving social services such as healthcare.

President Dr Irfaan Ali

“Between 2019 and 2024, to address security, we have had to increase our allocation on the security budget by 154 per cent… and it’s not only the increase of 154 per cent, it’s also an increase of a larger budget. So, the actual impact is much higher than the percentage increase.”
“Now, imagine if we could have used 70 per cent of that [increase budgetary allocation] and reallocated to healthcare or public health… I’m not even talking about emotional trauma, emotional distress, the consequential effect on mental health, or the cost of mental health, because if you have stronger families, you have better healthcare. If you have stronger communities, we’ll have a better public health system. Crime weakens families and weakens community, and weakens our public infrastructure and our public healthcare system,” the Guyanese Leader asserted.

Tackling crime early
The Head of State emphasised the need for collective action and an integrated approach to curb crime and address its root causes. He cited a recent United Nations report which stated that some 46 per cent of women in the Caribbean have experienced at least one act of violence. To this end, he emphasised the need for interventions at an early stage.

Prime Minister of Trinidad, Dr Keith Rowley

“You’re speaking about something systemic, something that is endemic, something that is structural, something that is highly integrated into the behavioural cycle of people in the region. So, that is how deep we have to go… [But] we can’t address this without having health, public health and education as part of the solution because if we are to solve it from a systemic perspective, then we must start from the primary school. So, as we incorporate public health in primary schools, we have to incorporate these issues also so that we have a whole generation coming up with a different perspective of life, and how we deal with these issues,” President Ali stated.

Friday’s regional security symposium focused on moving the conversation from what crime and violence as a public health issue means to how to implement meaningful actions through the lens of public health.
Current Chair of CARICOM, Prime Minister of Grenada Dickon Mitchell, underscored the need for behavioural changes as part of crime-fighting efforts in the region.

CARICOM Chair and Prime Minister of Grenada, Dickon Mitchell

“As with any other public health challenge, we need to change behaviours even as we put in place, the framework for crime prevention. So, today, we will interrogate the policy prescriptions for addressing the vulnerabilities within specific groups including women, youth and community – both as victims and as partners,” the Prime Minister noted.
He further stated, “We will strategise on strengthening the resilience created by positive family, educational and community involvement, and explore approaches to keeping our cultural expressions as a tool for positive development while mitigating the opportunistic negative infringements to make this legacy one that is mired in deceit and violence.”

‘No safe harbour’
Meanwhile, as part of these efforts to tackle crime and curb the movement of criminals in the region, a draft legislation for the CARICOM Arrest Warrant Bill has been completed.
This is according to the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Keith Rowley, who is the lead Head in CARICOM’s Qusai Cabinet for Security matters. He said several crucial pieces of model legislation have been developed since the first regional security symposium held in Trinidad last year to advance the commitments made by Member States to arrest the crime situation that has been plaguing the Caribbean.
“I have been advised… [of] the completion of the template legislation for the CARICOM Arrest Warrant Bill. I am particularly pleased to hear that we are here. Our little criminal punks must now know that in every CARICOM territory, the law applies to them equally, as soon as we implement the laws, with respect to warrants for their restraint and apprehension in anticipation of successful prosecution. There are no safe harbours in any of our CARICOM territories… We would want to have that implemented as quickly as possible,” he stated.
Back in 2018, Guyana joined other CARICOM nations when it ratified the CARICOM Arrest Warrant Treaty which allows Member States to arrest and hand over criminals to authorities in other participating countries where the crime was committed.
Additionally, Rowley also reported significant progress towards the completion of the Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record Bill – both of which provide the foundation for efficient cross-border cooperation in the region. (G-8)