The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collaborated with the Guyana Police Force, to train forty –four (44) Police Officers in noise management. Given the COVID-19 health restrictions, the training was conducted in two (2) batches on March 23 and 24, 2021, respectively. Officers were drawn from along the Pomeroon-Supenaam area including Suddie, Anna Region, Charity, Leguan, and Aurora police stations. This training brings the total number of Police Officers trained to date to two hundred four (204).

This first phase of the training aimed to build the capacity of Police Officers to better understand and manage noise emissions in the region. Officers were exposed to topics such as EPA’s role in noise management, understanding noise and its impacts, regulatory responsibility of the EPA and the Guyana Police Force in noise management, and evidence-based enforcement of the Noise Regulations. The second phase of the training,  featured the practical application of the training which included the use of the noise meter to collect evidence.

Based on the recommendations of the participants, it is imperative that a strategy be outlined and agreed between the relevant parties so that this joint initiative can be materialized and be sustained. As such, the legal representatives from both organisations are working towards developing a mechanism for this collaboration.