President floats joint strike force with Brazil for border security

-cautions police officers’ conference against waste of human capital

President Irfaan Ali yesterday announced that Guyana wants to deepen cross-border security collaboration with Brazil and Suriname anchored by an integrated joint strike force and advanced electronic border systems, and he has already held discussions with Roraima State authorities.

“Safe Country will be expanded. I’ve mandated the Chief of Defence Staff, the Commissioner of Police and the director of NISA, the director of CANU… I’ve asked them, and I’ve already discussed with the Governor of Roraima, for us to develop an integrated joint strike force to operate along the border.” Ali said in his address to the Annual Guyana Police Force Officers’ Conference held at Eve Leary, Georgetown.

“Those discussions, I hope, will advance so we can have an integrated system along the border. I’ve also encouraged the team to have similar discussions with Suriname on the other side of our border,” he added.

Emphasising that modern security threats require coordinated action not only within Guyana’s institutions but also across its borders, he said that the proposed joint strike force would operate along the Guyana-Brazil frontier, focusing on intelligence sharing, coordinated operations, and rapid response to cross-border threats, including narcotics trafficking, illegal firearms, and organised criminal activity.