2013 begins with 50% increase in murders

The first month of 2013 has already shown an increase in the number of serious crimes, with murders already 50 per cent above last year’s figure at the end of January.
Figures released by the Police Public Relations Department show that there were nine murders for the month of January 2013, three more than in the same month last year.
The police said that three of the murders occurred during armed robberies, one was of the domestic type, three were disorderly and three of the killings were of the unknown type.
Strangely though, the police statistics do not show any execution type murder for the month of January although the evidence suggests otherwise.
On January 24 businessman Intaz Roopnarine was gunned down as he was leaving the Cool Square hotel in West Ruimveldt. Many believe it was a well planned hit.
While the police have stated that Roopnarine was relieved of his jewellery by his killer, camera footage showed otherwise, as the gunman was seen running away from the scene after the shooting.
Then on January 31, last, gold miner Jason Wills, called ‘Teddy’, was shot dead in a house in Meadowbrook, in what is also being deemed an execution.
Again, A Division leads the list with four murders in January while two occurred in Berbice, two in the interior and one on the West Demerara.
Overall a three per cent decrease in serious crimes has been recorded at the end of January 2013 (317) in comparison to January 2012 with 326.
Other offences monitored were robbery under arms, robbery with violence, larceny from the person, break and enter and larceny, burglary, rape and kidnapping.
In January this year robbery under arms decreased by one percent, with 73 reports compared to 74 for January 2012.
The statistics indicate an increase of 19 per cent in the number of armed robberies involving the use of firearms; however there has been a 28 per cent decrease in armed robberies where instruments other than firearms were used by the perpetrators.