Following the elimination of many of the dangerous and high profile criminals and the dismantling of several gangs by the security forces there was a lull in serious crimes, however, over the past month or two the monster of brutal and gruesome crimes has been rising its head again. Within a week of each other there have been two horrendous crimes-the drive by shooting at Cummings Lodge which saw a young child being killed and at Bartica the throats of two gold dealers slit.
This is definitely sending an ominous signal and is not healthy for our society. Of course, the crime plague is not only affecting Guyana but other countries in the region as well. Only recently in Barbados, one of the countries with a reputation for a relatively low crime rate, a horrible crime took place which saw one Guyanese perish including a child. This criminal act was described as that country’s worst ever crime.
However, against this background a most troubling and frightening revelation was made by Police Commissioner Henry Greene at his recent press conference and, that is, guns are being rented by criminals. This perhaps explains to a large extent why so many gun crimes are taking place.
According to the Police Commissioner: “We are still of the view that firearms are being rented. There are a few firearms in the system that are being rented. We are still of the view that persons may be sneaking some firearms into the system.
“But the general trend and the general seizures…suggest that there are not that many firearms around. And we have evidence that persons have been renting firearms from others…evidence from what they have said; evidence of what we have found. We actually found people with a bag carrying back the firearms or going back to give people firearms that they have rented.”
This is a matter of grave concern and introduces a new dimension to our crime situation which is an indication that the criminal network is probably more organised than what we think.
Another worrisome development has been the recent breaches in SOPs in the army. While Chief of Staff Commodore Best has assured that no guns or ammunition are missing, clearly such lapses are intolerable because they could have led to their disappearance.
However, the Chief of Staff should appreciate the fact that only a couple of years ago 30 AK-47 rifles disappeared from the army headquarters and so far only a few have been recovered.
The crime situation in Guyana is a complex one because increasingly there is an interconnection between brutal killings and the illegal drug trade and even political motives as was evidenced when Buxton was under siege by a band of criminals who were described as “freedom fighters.” And even a former president of this country attended the funeral of a very notorious criminal “Blackie” London whose coffin was draped in the National Flag symbolising that he was a national hero.
Another factor which complicates the criminal situation is the collaboration of security personnel with criminals and perhaps this makes the task of defeating the criminal enterprise most difficult.
Therefore, the government should perhaps rethink its position of not bringing in foreign security experts to work within the security service, even though this may create other complications.
Violence and criminality creates fear, insecurity and of course is a threat to public safety and a hindrance to socio-economic development and therefore no effort must be spared to bring it to minimal levels.
According to the Candian Criminal Intelligence Agency, violence or the threat of violence from organised crime groups is a significant threat to public safety. Organized crime groups often use violence to promote and protect their criminal interests, territory and activities. In many instances, this violence is directed toward those within the criminal milieu, but innocent victims are sometimes also injured or killed. This violence can also be intended to intimidate and/or coerce individuals and communities, creating a general sense of insecurity in communities. Increasingly, individuals associated to organized crime are using illegally acquired firearms, particularly automatic handguns, as instruments of this violence.
Commissioner of Police Henry Greene said guns are being hired in Guyana for the commission of gun-related crimes. But he said seizures have resulted in a reduction in gun crimes over recent months.
Speaking at a news conference held at Police Headquarters yesterday, Greene – who was accompanied by Divisional Commanders of the various Police divisions, said: “We are still of the view that firearms are being rented. There are a few firearms in the systems that are being rented. We are still of the view that persons may be sneaking some firearms into the system.
“But the general trend and the general seizures…suggest that there are not that many firearms around. And we have evidence that persons have been renting firearms from others…evidence from what they have said, evidence of what we have found. We actually found people with a bag carrying back the firearms or going back to give people firearms that they have rented,” the Police Commissioner disclosed.
He said that while one could never be accurate or firm in matters such as these, if one were to look at the statistics, they tell a story about seizures and about the reduction of incidents of robbery under arms over the last couple of months.
The Commissioner said there seems to have been some hype in criminal activities over the last month or so.
“I want to say, however that we have remained postured. In Georgetown we have special anti-crime patrols by day and by night, no less than 12 of those patrols combined with motorcycle patrols in and around Georgetown and on the East Bank and to a limited extent on the East Coast,” he said.
He noted that the East Coast itself does have its own anti-crime patrols and also has other patrols that are linked to it, noting that West Coast of Demerara and Berbice have their anti-crime patrols.
He said the force is spread out in Essequibo and in Bartica with the Tactical Services Unit patrols. He said that from time to time “we go to Linden and support the men who work in Linden.”
“So we have not changed our posture in terms of how we are spread out, how we respond and in terms of our training. Our training is ongoing currently. We are training other ranks at the stations to be equipped to deal with any serious situation that may arise or occur, even though they are not members of the anti-crime unit,” he said.
Greene said there is a special firearms unit operating out of the Criminal Investigations Department Unit. He said it is a unit that persons will not hear a lot about but which does much work behind the scenes in terms of firearms.