CRIME IS ON THE LOOSE!

November 3, 2015 | By KNews | Filed Under Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom, Source

There is a security crisis in Guyana. Serious crimes are being committed against citizens every day

Just this weekend a business man was shot after exiting his business. He was lucky that he was not more seriously injured; others have not been that lucky.

Businesses are being robbed at gunpoint. Workers are being pistol-whipped in the course of these robberies. Customers are being deprived of their belongings during these robberies .Homes are being invaded and the occupants beaten. Businesses are being robbed. When you go into a shop these days you are tempted to make your purchase quickly because you do not know if while you are there some bandit will come in and rob the place and you in the process.

Guyanese are locking their gates and their doors and retiring before its gets dark. They are fearful.

This is not the way people should be living in Guyana. The criminals are curtailing the freedom of citizens.

The people who voted for change did not expect this state of affairs under the new government. Expectations were high that the new government would cause a reduction in crime.  This has not happened.

Tackling crime was supposed to be a major priority of the new administration. They came to power on the basis that people were living in fear because crime had got out of control.

Five months since the elections, crime is still out of control and there is no sign of improvement. What is the answer?

A gun amnesty was granted. The criminal underworld led the government into a false sense of security. More than one hundred and fifty guns were surrendered and a large quantity of ammunition was also handed in.

This, from all accounts, has made no dent into the criminal activities. It is not that the gun amnesty failed. It did nab a large number of weapons, far more than expected. It is just that there were so many guns out there that those surrendered have not dented to arsenal of the criminal gangs.

The weapons still in the hands of the criminal gangs are being put to ill-gotten use. They are being used to terrorize citizens. The crime situation has not improved and the government seems to have limited answers to the problem.

The police are doing a fine job after-the-fact. They are making arrests in a number of cases. Cases are being solved. The police must be commended for this action. This will not, however, bring much satisfaction to the victims of crime.

There are obviously a number of gangs operating in Guyana. Some of these gangs comprise young men who are brazen and bold. They are fearless in committing their criminal acts. They are also violent.

The police must be more pro-active rather than reactive. They need to stop these gangs from committing crimes before they do because it is not much comfort to the families of those shot and killed for the police to capture the killers after the fact.

The police must do a lot more in breaking up these criminal gangs. If they do not they will continue to be merely responding to crime and the criminals will continue to have the upper hand.

It is time for the police to become more proactive. They should be taking steps to raid suspected drug dens to seize weapons are arrest those in possession there.

The society is becoming increasingly criminalized. A lot of inside jobs are taking place. These days, employers have to be careful whom they are employing because it seems as if the criminals always seem to know when a withdrawal from the bank or a deposit is taking place.

When will it all end? People want answers!

Christmas is around the corner. The criminals will be on the prowl. It is time for action, not reaction!