Criminals can exploit the gaps between law enforcement agencies and across borders when critical intelligence is not shared quickly enough, Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips has warned.
Phillips made the point while opening the 27th Americas INTERPOL Regional Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, arguing that intelligence is only useful if it reaches the people who need to act on it.
“Intelligence cannot protect the public when it fails to reach the official required to act on it,” Phillips said.
His warning puts the speed of information sharing at the centre of Guyana’s efforts to tackle organised crime that increasingly operates across national borders.
Phillips said INTERPOL notices and other information-sharing systems can allow an investigation in one country to uncover links to criminal activity in another. Routine checks by police, immigration or border officials can sometimes reveal connections that would otherwise remain hidden.
But he said those systems are only effective when information is accurate, accessible when needed and used lawfully.
Guyana’s experience with Operation Guyana Shield in December 2025 was cited as an example of what coordinated regional action can achieve.
Authorities from Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana and Suriname worked together during the operation targeting illegal gold mining and its links to organised crime.
The operation resulted in more than 24,500 checks and 198 arrests, while authorities also seized criminal assets and materials linked to illegal activities.
For Phillips, however, the importance of the operation extended beyond the numbers. He said it demonstrated that criminal networks operating across several territories can be confronted when law enforcement agencies work together.
At the same time, he said such operations can expose weaknesses in the systems meant to keep criminals in check.
“Intelligence cannot protect the public when it fails to reach the official required to act on it,” he said, while also identifying poor coordination as another vulnerability.
Phillips said international intelligence must reach frontline authorities in time to influence investigations, while remaining subject to legal safeguards designed to protect public confidence.
He said the Guyana Police Force, Immigration Department, Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) and other agencies must be able to securely exchange information and coordinate operations with counterparts beyond Guyana’s borders.
Guyana, he said, is seeking an intelligence system where reliable information can be exchanged “without unnecessary delay” and translated into lawful operational action.
Phillips also called for continued access to international expertise and technology as criminal methods evolve, saying closer cooperation with INTERPOL could give border officials earlier warnings about people and activities of concern.
He said faster and better intelligence sharing could help investigators identify criminal connections that are not immediately visible within a single country, reducing the gaps in which organised crime can operate.
But Phillips stressed that effective information sharing ultimately depends on trust between countries.
“Countries must know that the information they provide will be protected lawfully used and treated with the seriousness it deserved,” he said.
Source: NEW ROOMS SITE
