The police are developing skills
There is a lot wrong in Guyana but there is also a lot going right. In recent weeks the society cried out that there was a spike in criminal activity. And indeed there was a rise in some areas of crime. For example, most of the murders were of the disorderly type with people killing because of some dispute. There were also some executions and these caused some worry, and still do. In the not too distant past, the expectation was that once there was a significant drug bust people would be killed. The killing would occur because someone took money and could not deliver, or because someone was accused of squealing to the authorities. But more recently, we have come to realize that the killers are very young men, barely out of school. They have established gangs and while the killings may not be gang related they certainly reflect that young men are prepared to take on anyone who is not among their associates. At present, there are some killings; families are pitted against each other. There are threats of one family exterminating the other to the extent that some people have moved out of their homes to take up lodging elsewhere. Given that the gun is the weapon of choice, and given that there is a large number of guns in the hands of people who are not licensed to carry them, the Minister with responsibility for Public Security has started a gun amnesty. To date this amnesty has barely got off the ground. The illegal guns are not being turned in. There are penalties for possession of illegal guns and ammunition but it would seem as if these mean nothing. Just about every young criminal has a gun and he is not scared to use it. But as is noted, there is a lot going right. The police are solving crimes, some of which were all but cold cases. This augurs well. Almost two decades ago, when he was asked about the crime situation, former President Desmond Hoyte said that criminals are bold because they are not being caught. And he is right. The deterrent to crime is catching the criminals. It has not escaped notice that more recently people who thought that they would have successfully escaped justice, suddenly found themselves in police custody. There was the man who killed a woman five years ago and fled across the borders. He came back home under forced circumstances and was immediately arrested. An alert policeman helped make this happen. Similarly, a man who robbed a court official and eluded the police for weeks suddenly came face to face with a policeman who happened to know him. He died while trying to deny justice. The Guyana Police Force during the past year unveiled a plan that would see the police being actively involved in improved community relations. Agricola was one of the first villages identified for this programme. There are still gunmen in Agricola but they are not raising their heads in that village. The police have seen to that. The police still need the help of the ordinary law abiding citizen. For sure, the law abiding people in Albouystown led to the arrest of some men who ruthlessly killed a man who was said to be equally ruthless when he brandished a gun. This might have been vigilante justice and could have been ignored except for the fact that the suspected killers are teenagers. To let them get away with this is to encourage other young men of similar age and background to kill. With the election of the new government there have been increased training opportunities for the police. It was as if the British were just waiting to become involved in training the police. A mere three months later and the police seem to have developed greater capacity to solve crimes. There is good and bad in equal measures. We expect to see more good in the not too distant future.
