BY ANDREW CARMICHAEL

There has been a 16 per cent increase in serious crime in Berbice during 2015 when compared with figures for 2014.
Divisional Commander of B Division (Berbice), Assistant Commissioner Christopher Griffith says the statistics are not worrying. According to him, although there is that increase, the figures are not exorbitant. “Because you would find that it is just four murders above the 2014 figure but when you calculate it as per percentage, it may seem high.”

In 2015, there were 24 murders committed compared with 20 during the previous year. In reviewing the past year, Commander Griffith said in 2015, robbery was nil as compared with nine in 2014.

Divisional Commander B Division, Assistant Commissioner Christopher Griffith

However, robbery under arms where firearms were used, showed a 25 per cent increase, moving from 60 in 2014 to 85 in 2015, while robbery under arms where instruments other than firearms were used was 27; the same as in 2014.

Robbery with violence showed a steep increase, moving from eight in 2024 to 19 last year, while robbery with aggravation declined from three to one in 2015. There were 41 reports of rape in Berbice in 2015. This compares with 23 the previous year. Burglary had a 10 per cent increase, there being 10 last year, while larceny from the person recorded zero for the two previous years.

Of major concern in the division is break and enter and larceny which had a 10 per cent increase. In 2014, there were 187 reports made and in 2015, there were 206. Despite the increase the division recorded its lowest break and enter and larceny in the month of December, unlike 2014.

Griffith said for the greater part of the year, the division was severely handicapped as a result of not having adequate patrol vehicles. There were only two patrol vehicles to serve both Regions Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) which consist of 12 Police stations. “We have to be mobile… We must have the patrols. Coupled with that shortage, the Force in itself has an acute shortage of human recourses. In the latter part of the year we got additional patrol vehicles so now we have 10.”

This, Griffith said, had a positive impact on the division’s policing capabilities. “What we are trying to do is do intelligence-led policing. We had arrested some men in a hotel and placed them before the court and they were remanded to prison, and since then you find that criminal activity within New Amsterdam has dropped. I don’t know if it was a gang or group that we broke up we did not have much.”

The Commanded noted that there are still experiencing armed robberies along the Corentyne and on the West Coast of Berbice.  He said with the one patrol vehicle in some areas it is still insufficient. “Some areas are very deep. Part of the plan this year is to cultivate more informants so that more information can come in so that we could turn it into intelligence. We have our social crime prevention activates still on board and through we will try to cultivate informants in the various communities.”

During 2015, four Police Officers from the division were placed before the court. The four are all from the Whim Police Station and have been charged with accepting bribes. Three other officers were interdicted during the past year from the division. According to Griffith, they are all being investigated for corrupt practices. The Assistant Commissioner noted that one was from the Criminal Investigating Department (CID) but none from the Traffic Department.