By KNEWS

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Minister Walrond confident countrywide digitisation could stamp out corruption

Sep 18, 2025
News

Kaieteur News – Newly appointed Minister of Home Affairs, Oneidge Walrond is confident that the digitisation of services across agencies in the country is going to “battle and attack” the allegations of corruption.

The minister made the disclosure while speaking with media operatives during a site visit of the new Brickdam Police Station on Wednesday.

Asked to comment on allegations of widespread corruption within sections of the Joint Services, the former magistrate stated that the allegations spread across the board wherever humans are.

“Let me also say that the allegations of corruption go all across, wherever humans are. So, it’s not just the Police Force, but I understand what you’re saying, and that is, in my view, one of the major ways in which we’re going to battle and attack the corruption is to have more transparency, based on the use of cameras, use of the digital services,” she explained.

According to the minister, the issue of corruption in any agency has to be dealt with very carefully. She noted that the government has been investing a lot of money into digitizing services, so to remove that human element.

“Already I can see it throughout the services that the police, and fire service and even at the Home Affairs ministry that we engage in, that to remove that human element… and we have started that programme. The president has also announced that programme of digitising,” she noted.

“At least under my administration, I’ve spoken to the secretary of the firearm board. I’m yet to speak with the chairman. I will have a meeting with the chairperson, the board has to be renewed, and then when we do so, we’re going to be sitting and setting some criteria that removes that human bias and the human element. I’m looking at it from the lens of how do we move as much as possible, the human element, from these sorts of considerations,” she elaborated.

Turning her attention to other areas to be addressed, Minister Walrond noted that while serious crime is on a 26 per cent decline, domestic crime is still an area of concern.

“What we are concerned about and we are addressing is domestic crime that is still an issue, and it’s a serious one. And under this administration, we will be tackling it, and the idea is to be clear about what problem we are addressing, and we are seeing decline in serious crime, but domestic crime while it’s not as high as it was in the previous years, it’s still high enough. One person being killed in a domestic crime or being seriously injured is still too much,” she disclosed.

Speaking briefly about the traffic situation, she said following a meeting on Monday, she was informed that some 1000 traffic charges have already been laid.

“What we find is that while tickets were being issued, this is traffic tickets, we were not following up. Charges were not being laid,” she related.

Walrond said moving forward, there will be a phased approach in terms of prosecuting those charges, making sure there is enforceability, so people understand in terms of the traffic that infractions are going to be followed up on.

Noting that enforcement has to play a major part, she revealed that they are looking in the direction of changing the legislation, in terms of suspension of licence, and to make sure that there is a follow up to these matters. “Because you have all these laws in place, but are we following up to make sure that they are dispensary so we can get the impact on which we are looking for,” she noted.

When asked about her policy in terms of the issuance of firearm and the illicit firearms on the streets, minister noted that the Police Force and other agencies have been doing work in terms of getting the illicit firearm off the street, and this would continue.

“Being a former magistrate, I know what I know, and I’m still doing and speaking to the other agencies and heads of agencies and people who are not necessarily heads, communities to get a full understanding of the illicit firearm – how many is still circulating. We see what the magnitude of the problem really is, and I will, in the next coming days, have a view to having those discussions to figure out what the magnitude of the problem is, where the sources might be to be able to make those decisions,” she informed.

Speaking with the head of CANU and police commissioner, in relation to getting drugs and illicit firearm off the street, the minister said her concerns remain how these reports are being prosecuted.

“My concern as a former magistrate is how many of these have been prosecuted, what is the follow through. Because people are not going to, the criminals are not going to respond if it is that you’re not seeing the full enforcement. And so, my question has been, and my query has been, how many of this has been prosecuted? Where are we in the process of prosecuting and as you know, you brought them to the courts, how many of you been able to take to the full fruition? And I have asked that question, and I’m waiting for that report,” she said.

According to the minister, she is yet to meet with the various heads of agencies to come up to speed with the state so as to implement policies to tackle the issues.

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