The two-day inaugural Women in Law Enforcement Summit got underway at the Police Officers’ Mess, Eve Leary, Georgetown on Thursday under the theme ‘Embrace Equity’.

The event brings together a diverse group of representatives with the focus on competencies in areas such as human resources management, behavioural and communication skills, team building, decision-making, gender differences, emotional intelligence, and entrepreneurship.

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira along with Commissioner of Police (ag), Clifton Hicken, Permanent Secretary of the Home Affairs Ministry, Mae Toussaint Thomas Jr, and Director of Public Prosecution, Shalimar Ali-Hack attended the summit.

The event is a collaboration of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) −Community Relations Department, Members of the Diversity Committee of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Challenges that female law enforcement officers encounter in the conduct of their duties will be addressed. It also aims to help improve the officers’ resilience and responses, through shared experiences.

This approach is centred on building stronger collaboration between women in the private and public sectors who share similar interests.

The summit will also facilitate one-on-one counselling sessions to support improvement in emotional intelligence.

In addition, the event will foster and support inclusiveness in a proactive way, develop empowerment tactics, facilitate open and candid discussions, and create activities that will assist in the professional development of female law enforcement officers across the country.

Director of Prisons (ag), Nicklon Elliot, Deputy Commissioner ‘Administration’ Calvin Brutus, Deputy Commissioner ‘Operations’ Ravindradat Budhram, Deputy Commissioner ‘Law Enforcement’ Wendell Blanhum, representatives of the private sector and diplomatic corps, among other officials were also present.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of High Commission of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana in the Republic of South Africa.