Community Watch in Buxton
Editorial
Kaieteur News
August 11, 2004
We are heartened that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has found strong allies in what some Guyanese might consider a highly unlikely place --- the much maligned village of Buxton.
As they put their best efforts into the fight against crime, the GPF has called for more support from communities. The police continue to urge citizens to form community watch groups. Recently, Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent John Sauers called on residents of Diamond Housing Scheme and other communities to watch each other's backs and keep watchful eyes on their own as well as their neighbours' properties. He encouraged residents to be on the lookout for suspicious persons or suspect activities in their communities and report these to the nearest police station.
The police clearly want residents to help them by providing crucial local knowledge to complement police intelligence information, to root out criminals and criminal activities in their midst. They also want communities to be pro-active in their fight against crime, by launching anti-crime drives and promoting activities that reinforce wholesome values in residents, especially youths.
The police campaign to seek greater community participation in the battle against crime is highly commendable; it should be fully supported throughout Guyana. There is little doubt that all communities would agree in principle to support the police in this way, but not all communities have responded as yet.
In light of this, it is immensely gratifying that one of the villages at the forefront of the community drive against crime is Buxton on the East Coast of Demerara. Of late, this village has earned considerable notoriety as a haven for violent criminals. Yet, this village now has three civic groups working in tandem to fight against crime as well as improve the quality of life in the community.
The three groups have declared in no uncertain terms that "not even the foulest of criminal minds" would deter them from their quest to uplift the troubled community. They are: the Buxton Friendship Comminity Alliance (BFCA), the First of August Movement (FOAM) and the Community Outreach Organisation. Together, these groups are comprised of Buxton residents, overseas-based Buxtonians and other supporters.
Despite enormous damage to the reputation and social fabric of Buxton by a distinct criminal presence in the village and its environs, these groups have resolved to promote positive change in the community. They are determined to show that the overwhelming majority of Buxton residents are civic-minded and law-abiding. They are unwavering in their desire to restore the excellent reputation of their village that endured through the ages until it was tarnished by a few modern-day miscreants.
To do this, the groups focus primarily on youths. High on their agenda is moral and spiritual guidance for teens, especially those attending the Buxton Community High School. The groups also foster community development by providing educational opportunities, vocational training, self-sufficiency courses, and facilitating health clinics. In addition, they try to rehabilitate or provide much-needed infrastructure for the village.
Significantly, the three groups are committed to helping the police eliminate crime from Buxton. As testimony to their commitment, the groups issued a joint communiqué to apologise to anyone who was traumatized be a recent murder in Buxton that marred Emancipation Day celebrations in the village. They took the opportunity to pledge their continued dedication to ridding the village of the destructive criminal presence.
We commend the police for pushing greater community involvement in the fight against crime. In particular, we acclaim the three civic groups in Buxton that have responded so well to the call by the police.
There is no better place for community involvement in the battle against crime to make telling impact than in the troubled village of Buxton, a place reputed to be the 'crime capital' of Guyana.