Primo calls on Guyanese to be extra vigilant and security-conscious
ALL Guyanese, particularly those living in communities along the East Coast of Demerara, need to be more vigilant and security conscious when it comes to their safety and that of their families.
Commander of Police ‘C’ Division, Assistant Commissioner Gavin Primo made this appeal during an interview with the Chronicle last week when he sought to address safety issues following the recent spate of robberies and road accidents along the East Coast corridor.
“I would like to tell East Coast community members that the time has come for us to become more security conscious,” Primo said.
In addressing the upsurge in robberies committed last week, Primo noted that safety measures are more important now than ever in order to prevent such occurrences.
“There needs to be proper security measures in place, despite the fact that many persons may have grill-work (on their homes), there is a need for electronic alarms to be installed which might stop persons from gaining entry into homes and business places,” he posited.
In addition, the Assistant Commissioner called out to business proprietors to adopt safer methods of conducting business transactions in recognition of the growing threat they are faced with, and encouraged them to be more discreet.
“Business people also need to be extra vigilant and conscious of the fact that there is danger out there. They need to stray away from old habits that would make them easy targets,” he advised.
Added to this, he also advised that individuals should desist from having large amounts of cash in their possession and opt to carry credit cards instead, which is much safer.
As to the need for these additional safety precautions, he explained, “These criminals are monitoring you and the time is ripe for us to employ other tactics to protect ourselves from these individuals who perpetrate these acts.”
In light of this, Primo noted too that community members need to work together and “employ intelligence” to ensure that all of the additional safety measures will be utilized in the most effective manner to thwart the criminals.
Just last week, several East Coast homes were invaded by bandits who attempted to rob and in some cases injured the victims.
At about 01:30hrs on Friday last, Good Hope businessman Ramdat Balkarran, 45 years, was shot and injured as two armed intruders gained entry into his home by removing a number of windows.
Also on Friday afternoon, armed bandits invaded the Lahago’s Super Centre in Montrose on the East Coast of Demerara and escaped with a quantity of cash before being apprehended by ranks of the Guyana Police Force and Community Policing Group (CPG) members.
Also, on Wednesday last, gunmen shot and killed a 40-year-old businessman in Crown Dam, Industry, East Coast Demerara shortly after the man left a commercial bank in the city. Bedi Ramjewan, the owner of Ramjewan Auto Sales and Supplies, was shot in the chest and struck in the head by two bandits on a motorcycle in broad daylight.
And alluding to the increase in accidents and road fatalities along the East Coast corridor, Primo said both motorists and pedestrians need to be mindful of the road conditions when driving despite the stipulated speed limit.
“There are those persons who believe too, that they can do as they please but they need to realize that the road is for every one, pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists alike and persons should consider this,” Primo stressed.
He also took the opportunity to dissuade individuals from loitering along the roadways during certain peak hours and especially at night to further prevent accidents.
“We need to continue to do as much as possible to keep our roads safe and in order to do this, individuals need to be aware of their roles and responsibilities,” the Commander of Police ‘C’ Division said.
In this case, he was referring directly to minibus operators along the East Coast highway whom, he noted, are the number one perpetrators when it comes to breaking the traffic laws.
In explaining, he said, “These minibus operators have the habit of stopping anywhere they like…they do not pull off of the carriage way or pull into the corners and this is a problem.”
Primo noted that the death of 36-year-old Jagdeo Ramnarine, who was killed instantly when a Route 44 minibus collided with him near Strathspey village on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), was because of such careless behaviour.
“The driver had to be going pretty fast when this happened,” he opined.
This accident which occurred on Friday last, resulted in the death of Jagdeo Ramnarine while several of the passengers in the bus sustained injuries.