GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) – Caribbean police commissioners began a five-day meeting in Guyana, amidst calls for greater attention and support for the mental health of police officers and a warning against the glorification of crime and criminality being used as tools to secure political power.

Addressing the opening of the 39th annual general meeting of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP), Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali called on governments and opposition parties in the region to treat crime seriously.

“Crime and criminality is not an opportunity to get into government,” he said, noting that crime erodes public trust in a democracy, resulting in that system to be put on its “knees”.

“Criminal gangs pose a direct threat to a democratic system of government,” Ali said, telling the top regional law enforcement officers that Guyana would be building a regional forensics crime laboratory.

He also offered to facilitate training opportunities in India and the Guyana Defence Force National Defence Institute for the police forces across the Caribbean.

Antigua and Barbuda Police Commissioner and outgoing ACCP president, Atlee Rodney, called for greater attention and support for the mental health of police officers, saying, “as leaders, we must place more emphasis on this area and provide more support to our officers.

“We, in the Caribbean, must address this hidden pandemic by encouraging professional assistance for our hardworking but so often stressed-out police officers,” Rodney said, urging his fellow commissioners and regional stakeholders to tackle the issue collectively.

“Our societies as a whole will benefit,” he told the conference, adding that regional police should maximise efforts to “learn, teach, and network” in pursuit of sustainable solutions in crime fighting in the region.

Rodney acknowledged the difficult times currently facing law enforcement, but expressed confidence in the capacity of the Caribbean police forces to step up their crime-fighting efforts.

“I encourage us to connect with each other, engage in solution-driven discussions and let us advance the safety and security of our communities within the Caribbean.

“We have the responsibility to make a positive difference, and I believe this conference gives us the opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to discover practical solutions to improve the safety of our special people of this region,” Rodney said.

The conference aims to strengthen law enforcement cooperation, share best practices, and enhance public safety in the Caribbean.