Commend President Ali for transforming and modernising the GPF
Given the critical need for a unified strategy to combat the rising lawlessness on the roadways, Traffic Chief and Assistant Commissioner of Police Mahendra Singh has issued a strong call for accountability and collaboration among all stakeholders, commuters, traffic officers, and the general public.
In an exclusive interview with The El Dorado Beacon, the traffic chief discussed important issues such as road safety, bribery, and the critical need to educate the public on responsible driving.
He also emphasised that road safety is a shared duty and stressed the importance of ongoing enforcement, institutional integrity, and increased knowledge in order to generate long-term change.
Noting that the Guyana Police Force is mandated to operate in an unbiased manner and support the government of the day, the traffic chief explained that the development and modernisation of the force under the Commander-in-Chief, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, has been significant compared to previous years.
According to him, the investments in the Guyana Police Force by President Ali have positioned them to execute their job in a more effective and efficient manner.
Traffic Chief Singh said, “I wouldn’t be speaking with a forked tongue, nor with a political angle, he said.
Where we may have been then with minimal resources—motor vehicles, motorcycles, bodypack cameras, LTE radio sets that give us the opportunity to not only communicate but to see where the cameras are and what is prevailing—we didn’t have them; we have them now. Where we didn’t have enough, we have more now.”
While reflecting on the dilapidated and almost nonexistent roadways some years ago, the traffic chief explained that while there was never a Mandela-Eccles interlink, a Heroes Highway, an Ogle bypass, or a Schonard Highway, Guyanese are benefiting from them now.
He also applauded the government for recognising and installing traffic lights and traffic signals on the roadways as they are made and/or commissioned.
Critical to the safe road intelligence system, the traffic chief also added that President Ali recognised the need for a digital speed radar sign that helps drivers to be aware and conscious of their speed limit.
“In the last month, we have received 5000 bodypack cameras. Our capabilities are now being enhanced due to our academy’s accreditation and the level of training that individuals receive, both internally and externally, at local, regional, and international levels.
Our capacity is built to the extent of basically meeting that vision which our president has… while our president has been committed 100 percent to everything that a leader should give to the bodies responsible for the delivery of services that are critical to nationhood.
We are also responsible for meeting the same, more than halfway, and that is exactly what the Guyana Police Force has been doing,” the traffic chief concluded.
