Minister of Home Affairs, Oneidge Walrond, has announced that every police station across the country will soon have a community policing desk as part of a wider effort to promote “less force and more engagement” in law enforcement.
In an exclusive interview with News Room, Minister Walrond explained that while a system of Community Policing Groups (CPGs) already exists, many of these groups have become inactive over time.
She said steps are being taken to revive and strengthen them, integrating their work into the core of active policing.
“It is sort of not as vibrant. Some groups had died, but those community policing groups are going to be integrated into active policing.
“The philosophy is to use community policing groups as far as practical, as opposed to uniformed ranks with the use of force in domestic situations,” Walrond said.
According to the Walrond, community-level interventions are especially critical in remote regions where police presence may be limited and travel distances between communities and police stations are long.
“So, if a person is feeling threatened, there is a community police officer right there in the community with powers to enforce and intervene,” she said.
Walrond noted that the integration will be comprehensive, with every police station now required to have a community policing desk and a designated space for community policing officers.
“That is how they are going to be so much a part of active policing,” she said.
She pointed out that people are more likely to trust officers who come from their own communities rather than those posted from outside, and this approach has already shown positive results in hinterland regions where local officers are helping to defuse conflicts and improve safety.
“We are already seeing it in hinterland regions where interventions are being made. That is the philosophy we are using—less force and more engagement,” Walrond noted.
To support the initiative, Walrond has tasked the Deputy Permanent Secretary with resuscitating inactive community policing groups where necessary, ensuring that community engagement becomes a cornerstone of the country’s policing strategy.
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