Collins said it would be "problematic" to have successful joint operations without sufficient intelligence, an inadequacy the Police have admitted in earlier testimony to the Commission.

He told the body, which begun a public inquiry into the Army on Monday, that the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) would be "very reluctant" to go into such operations without gathering its own intelligence.

Collins addressed the issue of operational efficiency and effectiveness (manpower and material) during the afternoon hearing at the Supreme Court Law Library in Georgetown. The Commission resumed hearings Monday after a break to compile and present a preliminary report on its inquiry into the Guyana Police Force.

Commissioners asked Collins about the recent joint Army-Police operation in Buxton, East Coast Demerara, from where notorious criminals were spearheading violent crimes. He said there is "some validity" to public criticisms of the exercise, saying these would not have arisen if there was proper public relations work. "We have learnt our lesson" and would do a better job (on other such missions)," he added.

Initial reconnaissance in Buxton showed what the Colonel described as "communal anarchy" with an absence of local government, increased lawlessness (children openly smoking marijuana), etc.

"The situation grew on the officials, the criminals recognised this, they turned up there, and took over," he said.

In light of occasional outbursts of civil violence, Collins stated that no community should be without Police presence - the first symbol of state control and law enforcement. He said the withdrawal of the Police from Buxton was a contributing factor to the ugly situation which enveloped the village.

He disclosed that intelligence revealed no unified or political motive for the criminal takeover, though commuters attacked while passing through the location were mostly of one particular race.

According to Collins, it was a "coincidence" that the situation was controlled following the shooting to death of a soldier and the highly publicised kidnapping of United States Embassy staffer, Stephen Lesniak. Commissioner, Attorney-at-Law, Anil Nandlall, said the Commission received a large volume of evidence that closure was hastened by those incidents.

Collins also told the Commission he did not see the need for the GDF to be invested with powers of arrest similar to that of the Police, contending that military training is unsuitable for such functions.

But Commissioner, Senior Counsel, Charles Ramson, pointed out that civilians have powers of arrest and it is not such a technical exercise that well-trained Army personnel cannot handle. He cited examples of joint Police-Army operations in Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica to combat violent crimes and wondered why the GDF was resisting the idea.

However, Collins noted that a soldier is trained to be aggressive and "is a very different man out there" and would need to be retrained to manage powers of arrest in such a context.

Asked by Commissioner, Ret'd Brigadier David Granger, how he sees the Army in the next five years, Collins said the Force should have better communication between border areas, an improved Coast Guard, higher morale and well-trained personnel.

And his message for the National Assembly to which the Commission will report its findings, is that the GDF understands its mission; is contributing to national development and needs more support in terms of resources.

Earlier, he said,"we discover that often, the driving factor when making military decisions is always cost. (This) should not always be so."

In reference to calls for more deployment at the country's borders, Collins said, "We're doing our best within the limitations, that is why we're begging for more equipment. (But) we will not 'throw back', we will train until the equipment is there."

Prior to this statement, the Colonel had explained that the Army invests heavily in training its ranks with the aim of making maximum use of material resources when available.

Collins also discussed a GDF recommendation to the Commission for some disciplinary matters to be resolved at the Commanding Officer level than at a Court martial because of the administrative costs involved.

Remuneration equitable with that given to public servants and a free plot of land in an area of a soldier's choice were other recommendations. Soldiers retire at age 40 and the Army usually trains them to continue to serve society in other capacities.

Collins said there is no problem attracting recruits at present, explaining that this is tied state of the economy and there are increased efforts to join the GDF when jobs are scarce.