DEAR editor, please permit me to comment on a recent shooting of a US-based Guyanese at Port Mourant.
It has become sickening that many Guyanese are not finding the right thing to do due to lack of jobs, idleness, laziness, insensitivity, bullish attitude, peer pressure and the ‘get rich quick action’. This social behaviour will certainly destroy our Guyana. The recent shooting of a returning Guyanese just shows how violent and merciless our society has become.
From reading the news article in the Guyana Chronicle, I just hope that the police can crack this case and it would not end up being another unsolved murder and add to the long list of unsolved murders.

The attack on people returning and our own people is affecting our society negatively. Many Guyanese living overseas are closely knitted, so tragic news like this will definitely reach their ears and, as such, they will be reluctant to come here and visit especially when most of our tourists are largely diasporic.

We should stop comparing ourselves to other countries and educate our people more on gun crimes. From thousands of unsolved crimes in Guyana, we should by now know that our police are clueless on what to do. We have too many inexperienced crime fighters, lack of training for police (you can figure this out when they open their mouth to speak or even write a statement). We need a robust police system. We need more patrols and checks/searches. We need more police outpost and vibrant CPG’s and most of all, police need to do their work, lessen bribe taking and educate themselves.
It is sad to see when police have to write in their hands when they are on patrol and many newspaper companies are selling blank newsprint for less than $100 per pound.

It is a shame to read that the courts and police stations are out of stationery to conduct investigation and trial, and that they are out of manpower and vehicles when they are readily available.

The issue of gun crimes in Guyana boils down to where the guns are coming from and how they end up in the hands of mindless criminals. Is it through our wharfs…or is it through our borders? If it is our borders, then we should examine who are watching our borders, monitor what they are doing and conduct more searches of cargo, boats and passengers.