THE present crisis involving armed robbery is nowhere at its end due to certain pertinent factors. First of all I would like to know in which category does possession and or use of an illegal firearm falls? Is it a serious crime matter, a crime or not at all? If it is not then I hastily ask for it to be so considered for the express cause that daring robberies are being committed almost on a daily basis while scores of individuals are losing their lives and nothing seems to be done about it. I would again refer my readers back to the case of Sir Allen Stanford and the IMF president who were promptly incarcerated on alleged fraud and rape charges respectively. Their arrests pending trial was facilitated by the simple fact that fraud as well as rape come under the category of serious crimes in the U.S.A. and the urgency with which each is treated is phenomenal, the same cannot be said of armed robbery cases here. No wonder with such vague descriptions of an indictable offence many criminal elements are at liberty to perpetuate their crimes.

Some years ago a group of armed men raided a house in South Georgetown at the end of that robbery occupants of the house were badly beaten (gun butted to be exact) and a number of valuable items stolen. Fortunately for those people there was an eyewitness hidden in a wardrobe that saw everything and the matter was reported to the police.
The men who committed the act are well known characters from the Tucville squatting area, these men were positively identified after an identification parade as well as the stolen items recovered. After a lengthy trial that went on for a few years, I cannot accurately remember how many, those men were given four year sentences on, note well, a robbery charge, nothing there indicating of armed robbery.
Those young men are now out of prison and on the usual rampage driving fear and foreboding in the communities surrounding that area. Now my question is why weren’t these men tried for armed robbery? Was it because no gun was found? Are you kidding me do you think these guys would simply walk up to a police officer and say here is the gun that I committed the act? Or would they admit to having a gun at all? These guys all young men in their twentys knew fully well that they would have gotten light sentences with that robbery charge and soon they will be out of prison with their gun of course, to carry on where they’ve left off. And this is the problem I am having with the police and the justice system once someone claims that they were robbed at gunpoint and the perpetrator/s found guilty of the charge why can’t they be given lengthy jail sentences commensurate to a situation of one being in possession of a deadly weapon also? The criminal knows darn well that with the matter tried only as a robbery case he is ten steps ahead of the system and in reality, laughing his way to prison with a short sentence. At the end of the day with that short sentence and with his weapon securely tucked away things would be ready for use on his return to public life. No wonder we are saddled with so many repeat offenders.

This brings me to the recent case at Bee Hive on the East coast of Demerara where gunmen were caught red-handed at the scene of the crime. A passing police patrol immediately recognised them as “regulars” a term used to describe repeat offenders. It is interesting to note here that these guys would be put on an identification parade before they are charged and placed before the court. Now I am appalled at the police making such a statement, why should there be an identification parade? These guys were caught at the very scene of the crime. There is no question of identity. It is only a subtle move to make a way of escape for the criminals by the police.
There is an almost guaranteed ninety percent chance of Mr. Amin identifying the wrong man for the simple fact that he has only seen these guys for the first time and one’s memory cannot be relied upon to be a carbon copy after a one time experience. Further to this injustice one would like to know what charge (s) was/were made out against these men? Is it one of simple robbery or armed robbery with the use of a deadly weapon? Make no mistake Mr Amin would have been dead if that gun did not malfunction. Had it not been for the mercies of the Almighty the Amins would have been conducting a funeral service for their son around this time.

While I am on this topic I would like to quickly bring to your attention the recent jewellery heist at Waller’s Delight on the West Coast of Demerara. Seeing the owners of that getaway vehicle PHH 3202 were positively identified what should be the next move? Are they going to fall for the nonsense excuse that they were not the ones involved in that armed robbery or at least their vehicle was in some way hired for criminal activity? I know these are the usual run of the mill excuses but my suggestion to the authorities is that the vehicle should be impounded pending the successful conclusion of the case when it should be confiscated by the state. Meanwhile, the Munroes should begin volunteering information; lots of it into what took place at Waller’s Delight. If law enforcement and by extension our courts keep accepting these stories we would be making the same old mistake over and over again and we would not be anywhere closer to solving gun crimes. The airline industry was faced with the same problem until they took quick decisive action in imposing heavy fines on the airlines for their lack of security among other stringent measures which brought the drug menace to manageable proportions. The same has to be done with these vehicles and their owners or we are in for a drubbing from the criminals.