CALLING on Government to review the sentencing policy for persons charged with armed and violent robberies, and to make the offence non-bailable, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) is also requesting that Government remove all taxes from the importation of security cameras in a bid to fight crime.“We encourage the President of Guyana, the Government Ministers and all stakeholders to send a strong signal to criminals that crime will no longer be tolerated,” PSC Chairman Edward Boyer told a news conference on Friday. “We would like to encourage all stakeholders — including the Government, police, judiciary and civil society — to review the sentencing of persons charged with armed and violent robberies to ensure that these charges are not subject to bail and that (those charged) are subject to appropriate sentencing, which should be handed down by all magistrates. In this light, we believe a collaborative approach is needed.”

Former Chairman of the PSC, Captain Gerald Gouveia, has said the anti-crime police need to be seen on the roadways if they are to be taken seriously. “We want the police presence to be a deterrent to criminals. If they are being deployed, we need to see more of them,” Gouveia said. “The problem with the private sector is that we are scared because we are not seeing them. This is not the time for (members of) the Police Force to camouflage themselves; we want to see them in our neighbourhoods; we want to see them when we are coming from the international airports; we want the Police Force presence to be a deterrent to criminals,” Gouveia said.

He opined that whatever strategy the police are using is not delivering the kind of results that would win the public’s trust, because fear and paranoia are evident around the country.

Gouveia joined the other private sector members in calling for a removal of taxes from all security cameras in a bid to stimulate purchase of the equipment by the ordinary citizens, while those who already have the equipment, he opined, can upgrade the quality. He noted that the camera technologies advance rapidly, and he said citizens should benefit from quality equipment, which can be affordable if there are no taxes attached.