The Minister of Home Affairs, Hon. Oneidge Walrond, yesterday (Wednesday, November 26, 2025) visited Linden, Region 10, where she held an interactive engagement with Community Policing Groups (CPGs) from across the district as part of Government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen citizen security and deepen collaboration between the Guyana Police Force and the communities they serve.
Addressing the gathering, Minister Walrond underscored that community policing is central to building trust, tackling crime and improving safety at the grassroots level.
“Community Policing Groups are one of the most important tools we have to change the trajectory of crime and traffic deaths in our country,” she said. “When you meet with residents, listen to their concerns and bring those issues to us, it helps us take them back and work towards practical solutions for your communities.”
The Minister emphasized that the vision for community policing is fully shared by the leadership of the Guyana Police Force. “When I took up this office a few months ago, the Commissioner and I agreed that we must build a more vibrant community policing movement across the country, and he is fully on board with that vision,” Minister Walrond noted. “We’ve already seen tremendous benefits where these groups are active.”
CPGs, she said, are bridging the gap between the Police and the public by going into neighbourhoods, holding meetings with residents, and assisting in crime prevention through voluntary patrols, information-sharing and community outreach.
“You are really the backbone of strong community relations,” the Minister told the officers. “If people don’t feel that they can trust the authorities, we will never be able to solve issues of crime and all the other ills that come with it. People have got to feel that they can come to you and be heard.”
Minister Walrond highlighted the important role CPGs play in preventing domestic and family-related violence. “Sometimes it is the neighbour who hears what is happening in the home next door, the woman who is being battered, the children who are crying, who can make the difference,” she stressed. “A child or woman being exposed to abuse must feel there is a trusted adult in the community they can turn to; you represent that mother figure or father figure, even before the Police arrive.”
She further noted that while serious crime has declined nationally, domestic and family-related offences remain an area of concern. “For the most part, serious crime is down in Guyana thanks to the Guyana Police Force and the hard work of our ranks,” Minister Walrond said. “But many of the offences we continue to see are linked to domestic and family relationships. That tells us we must tackle these deeper societal issues together, Government, Police and communities’ side by side.”
Minister Walrond reiterated Government’s commitment to strengthening the institutional support for CPGs. “We have decided that the Guyana Police Force, through the Commissioner’s Office, will be more actively involved in the deployment and resourcing of these groups, because you are critical to keeping our citizens safe and secure,” she outlined.
At the same time, she underscored that the true strength of community policing rests on service, not payment. “The real strength of community policing comes when these activities grow out of your volunteerism and your desire to see the best for your communities,” Minister Walrond reminded the group. “When you go out on patrol, it should feel like you are doing it for family and friends, not because of how much you can be paid, but because you care about what happens where you live.”
Region 10 Community Policing Groups
Region 10 district currently consists of twenty-seven (27) Community Policing Groups with a total membership of 441. These include, Block 42, Speightland (DOR), Moblissa (East), Old England, Coomacka Mines/Three Friends, Cinderella City, Moblissa (Chinese Road), Kara Kara, Kwakwani, Ituni, Fruitville, Fudersville (DOR), Hururu Mission, West Watooka, Canvas City, Wisroc, Rockstone, 58 Miles Mabura, Andyville, Success Avenue, Melalli, Block 22, Mabura, Muritaro, Blueberry Hill and Block 56 Kalaru.
Minister Walrond thanked the CPG members for their continued dedication and assured them that today’s engagement is part of a series of ongoing meetings aimed at reorganizing, energizing and expanding Community Policing Groups nationwide. “This is just the first of many such engagements,” she concluded. “We want active, functional groups, and we want you to know that you have a partner in Government as we work together to keep every community in Guyana safe.”
