| By Dale Andrews Once upon a time in Guyana the television newscasts began with the depressing sounds of John King’s “How many more?” and Capleton’s “Jah Jah City”. The front pages of the newspapers were covered with big bold headlines of a country under siege. On any given day one could rest assured that news will be about another person being gunned down, executed or kidnapped.No one denied that Guyana had become a nation in fear, with even the persons responsible for our safety cowering, leading to a semi-state of emergency, with the deployment of the Guyana Defence Force, not forgetting some other extra-judicial methods. That was the 2002-2008 period.Crime Chief,Wendell BlanhumCommissioner of Police, Seelall PersaudFast forward to 2015 and many are beginning to think back to those. Today the newspapers and newscasts are beginning to resemble those of the mid 2000 crime wave, with the brutality of current criminal activities.But this time around the persons responsible for their safety are not really afraid, they are just doing nothing about the situation, or so it seems.There is no doubt that within recent times,Cheap Jerseys Free, the sensational crimes that have occurred have cast a shadow of fear in several sections of the society-from the Corentyne to the Northwest District to the Rupununi.Within the past two months, we have heard of the brutal murder of businessman Ganesh Ramlall; the attack on a Land Court Judge and her husband; wanton shootings in the city; the brutal murder of an elderly woman which was captured on surveillance cameras; the slaughter of a Chinsese restaurant owner and more recently, the slaying of a Corentyne cash crop farmer.When bandits can take time to cut a hole in the wall of your house to come in to attack and the police cannot reach their in time, something is definitely wrong, and no wonder citizens are feeling helpless and hopeless.“Nobody is safe anymore because it seem that the police are in league with the bandits” said one resident of the East Bank of Demerara.And who could blame him for thinking that way when for this year alone, a few policemen have been convicted for armed robbery, while the Force only recently broke up a gang that was equipped with police uniforms and carrying out illegal roadblocks to rob unsuspecting persons.And while the government through its Minister of Public Security has outlined a strategic plan to address the problem, the police themselves seem to be clueless as to what to tell the populace.This has led to protests with the affected communities calling for some form of positive response from the law enforcement agencies.I don’t for once believe that politicians should be the ones to go to front to appease the people, afterall, we keep hearing about more resources being given to the Guyana Police Force.The Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud has been silent in the main within recent times.Just under two months ago he had boldly announced that despite the numbers,Cheap NFL Jerseys, the crime situation in Guyana within recent times was never out of control.“The perception is that since the last elections (May 11th), crime has spiraled out of control…but the statistics is showing that last year we had a fifteen percent reduction and that this year we are measuring those reported crimes against the reported crime last year, of that 15 percent reduction,” the Commissioner had explained in early July.According to the Commissioner, this perception might have been because of more violence attached to some of the reported criminal activities.“The situation was never out of control and so it’s easy for some of our critics to sensationalise…maybe it works towards the end that they want to achieve,” Persaud stated.He said that what the critics do not recognize is that within recent times the high profile crimes are being matched by high profile arrests and prosecutions.“So how is it out of control?” he asked.But his explanation is still not being bought by members of the public,Nike Air Max 95, especially since he has remained silent in the wake of the most recent surge in crime.The Commissioner has been holding on to the Force’s initiative of building relationships with communities that are usually linked to criminal activities as one of the success stories of crime prevention.Not everyone shares his belief that this is bearing fruit—at least not presently.A former top official of the criminal investigations department believes that the problem rests with the Police Divisional Commanders.He said that the Commanders have deviated from the core responsibilities of the police, which is to prevent and detect crime.“Within the past two years, we have seen efforts being channeled into social work, youth clubs ect., and while this is happening, the hardcore criminals are having a field day because the police focus is now more on social intervention,” the former senior officer said.The social intervention initiative is the baby of Commissioner Persaud and has been adopted by several Divisional Commanders.He said that may be good reasons for the adoption of the social intervention programme, but this initiative, he said, “is good for the future because you are targeting youths to keep them away from crime,Wholesale China Jerseys Free Shpping, but the already hardcore criminals are out of the loop.”“Some Commanders are desperately trying to please the Commissioner but in a passive way they are abandoning their core functions, because a lot of energy and ranks are being wrongly channeled into these social projects,” the former CID big-wig stated.But maybe the social interventions can bear fruit if only the relationships that are being built can translate into information sharing.Except for the few statements from Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, the public is crying out for explanations from the designated agency that is mandated to detect and prevent criminal activity.Blanhum acknowledged that there is a 10 percent hike in serious crimes but brushed that aside as a reason for great fear.“I don’t know about the fear factor. There was a time when police were being killed, there was shooting at police stations, kidnappings. An entire village was taken over by gunmen…that was a period of fear. Now people are going about their business. It’s all about the types of crime that are being reported. Yes, we have murder and we are concerned but, fear,nfl jerseys china, no! the Crime Chief declared.According to Blanhum, most of the murders that are occurring now are the disorderly type and these can be avoided if only the citizens act more responsibly.He told this newspaper that the Criminal Investigations Department has upped its game with regards to intelligence and crime interventions, and had it not been for this,Jerseys NFL Wholesale, the situation would have been looking worse.“We have been able to avert several robberies that could have led to murder because of our intelligence gathering,” he said.It would appear that the situation however has forced some drastic actions, like multiple roadblocks and aerial surveillance by helicopter both day and night.“It is unfair to compare today with that crime wave period when persons were afraid to out,” Blanhum said.Try telling that to a population that is bombarded by the daily reports of violent criminal acts and the slothful police response.When employees in the city have resorted to walking in groups to protect their cell phones and the little bus passage they have, speaks volumes.One stallholder in the Stabroek Market spoke of the openness with which the business of stolen items are conducted at an area he called “under the clock”“All de teifing gold does sell right deh. Everything you could think of that dem bandits tief, does sell right deh, and de police know dat but they don’t do nothing about it,” the businessman said.“When you look at dem police stations in the night, all lock up and police sleeping inside with gate lock. When criminals look and see only one patrol vehicle on the road on the east bank, they have ample time to carry out their work and get away,” the East Bank Demerara resident observed.He suggested that the police force get on with the recruitment of the more than 1500 more members to make up the shortfall in the establishment so as to bolster its responses to crime.“When the few policemen tired and deh sleeping, de criminal dem just got to bun a joint and go out and dey wuk,” the resident stated.The situation has obviously reached crisis proportions that businessmen, who are the most likely targets, have come together to put their money where their mouths are to help the police deal with criminals in a way that is satisfactory to the public. |
