Police guarantee intensified street presence until January 15
–citizens’ safety assured
POLICE ‘A’ Division Commander, Assistant Commissioner George Vyphuis, has assured shoppers, tourists and visitors that they can safely do their Christmas shopping, since patrols and ranks are policing Georgetown and its environs around the clock.
He was adumbrating the police position in relation to the festive season of 2011, which officially started on November 15 ahead of the just concluded general elections, and will end on January 15, 2012. His remarks were made at the Police Officers’ Mess, Eve Leary.
Giving crime analyses, trends, hotspots, spates and seizures, Commander Vyphuis said the GPF has been both proactive and reactive in its policing. He added that policing arrangements in ‘A’ Division, which spans from Conversation Tree to Dora on the Linden Soesdyke Highway, was intensified even before the general and regional elections were held.

Police had set out to ensure the environment was safe and secure for persons to conduct their Christmas shopping and other activities.
Noting the impending increase in commercial activities in the city and its environs, with the concomitant increase in pedestrian and vehicular traffic, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) intends to reduce criminal activities and traffic congestion. Detailing the security logistics, Commander Vyphuis said the GPF has enhanced its presence in the commercial sectors, where there would be intense Christmas shopping and tourists as well as overseas-based Guyanese.

There are also heightened operations involving Criminal Investigations Department (CID) ranks and those attached to the Intelligence Unit, working around city banks, nightspots, prisons, and post offices.

The Assistant Commissioner also stated that the GPF will continue to pay special attention to noise nuisance, and in order for them to effectively police the city, personnel have been assigned sectors which are each manned by a cadet officer and an inspector.
He said all sectors have booths with police ranks. In addition, mobile patrols and the beat duty system is in place, and their focus is on the busy thoroughfares, residential areas, businesses, and shopping areas.

Vyphuis added that the Aberdeen patrols are also working, with patrol duties moving from place to place, and the shift system is also activated in ensuring that ranks are, at all times, on the roads.  Patrols will be increased with effect from December 22 to 24 for the busy shopping period, and from December 29 to 31 for the Old Year’s celebration.
He pointed out that the police have two patrols coming out of the Impact Base, where a two-shift system is in place to police the market areas. Two other patrols – from Sierra Papa which patrols from Timehri to the city, and from Dragon Alpha which is comprised of ranks attached to the CID Anti-Crime Unit – are patrolling city hotspots, among other places in the city, with assistance from the Community Policing Groups and City Constabulary.
Vyphuis told the gathering that statistics from January to November 2011 reveal that, this year, 1808 robberies (crimes) were committed, showing an 8% increase over last year’s figure. He said this highlights that criminal activities of several gangs contributed to the figure.
He reported that a total of 25 illegal firearms were recovered this year, compared to 37 in 2010, and credited this achievement to good community relations coupled with information gathering, roadblocks, searches of vehicles and persons, and cordon and search exercises performed by police ranks.
Speaking about the GPF’s achievements and successes, Vyphuis said swift action by the police, based on information received, led to several persons being apprehended and placed before the courts; and some are serving time in prison for the armed robberies committed at Stockfeeds, Avon on Camp Street, the home of Michael Panday, and the brutal murder at Dr. Doobay’s.
Highlighting the challenges this year Assistant Commissioner Vyphuis stated that despite resources put into police stations, in terms of facilitating prisoners’ identification parades, persons are still reluctant to come forward to identify suspects, and this poses a serious challenge for police to successfully prosecute matters in the courts, since the police need the cooperation of witnesses in identifying suspects.
Another hardship for the GPF is that persons are giving varying colours of the vehicles involved in criminal activities, and the police need the correct information in acting quickly and responding to crimes.
The Commander pointed out, also, that inaccurate reporting by members of the public is a problem as well as a concern for the GPF, but there is the 911 improved system where reports can be made, which features pre-recordings of all calls made, making the tracing of calls possible.