Guyana Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn does not want private security guards to display big guns while on duty, and he has warned that security firms would be suspended if their employees lose guns. “We do not want what is seemingly a militarized country, and I want us to be reminded of the risk and the danger the improper use of a firearm represents; we do not want a posture that is aggressive and intimidating,” the Guyana Police Force quoted Mr. Benn as telling heads of private security organisations.
Many stores and cambios in commercial Georgetown are protected by security guards who are visibly armed with shotguns and rifles. Mr. Benn said such a display of big guns creates a hostile situation with civilians and can have negative implications for Guyana’s tourism, as well as the general safety of citizens.
The meeting which was held at the Officers’ Training Centre on Monday March 30, 2021 was facilitated to identify issues and concerns as the Guyana Police Force embraces collaboration through structure and developmental processes of reaching higher standards.
Minister Benn further highlighted the importance of professionalism and warned that private security firms would be suspended if any of their firearms are lost. “We don’t want weapons lost,” he said. He explained that those firms, whose employees have lost weapons, might be suspended pending the outcome of an investigation into the loss of those weapons. “The bottom line is that they must be well trained, the bottom line is that they must be properly looked after to be alert to do the job which earns money for you,” Mr. Benn was quoted as saying in a Guyana Police Force release.
Earlier this month, police seized an AR-15 rifle from a security guard at a business place at Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara after he admitted that he was not authorised to carry the weapon and he was not trained to use it.
