THE Guyana Police Force (GPF) reported, yesterday, that there was a one percent decrease in serious crimes during November, as compared to the same month last year. There was a five percent increase in murders this year and a rise in incidents of robbery under arms and armed robberies in which instruments and firearms were used, the report said.

The statistics said the total number of reports of serious crimes made by November 30, 2012 was 3,478 in comparison to 3,507 at the end of November 2011.
The crimes monitored are murder, robbery under arms, robbery with violence, larceny from the person, break and enter and larceny, burglary, rape and kidnapping.   
One hundred and nineteen murders were recorded at the end of November 2011 and 125 murders for the same period this year, five percent more. Of the 125, 55 were of the disorderly type, 10 were committed during armed robberies, 24 domestic related and nine execution style while the other 27 are, so far, unclassified.
The compilation indicated that robbery under arms had risen by 22 percent by November 2012, with 968 reports as against 796 for the same time in 2011. The number of armed robberies involving the use of firearms rose by 15 percent and those in which weapons other than guns were utilised were 33 percent more.
Meanwhile, in relation to traffic, the records show a nine percent reduction in road fatalities up to the end of November 2012, in comparison to the same period last year, with 98 this year and 108 last year.
Pedestrians are the main road users affected with 29 of them losing their lives on roads by the end of November this year, in addition to 17 pedal cyclists, 14 motorcyclists and 20 drivers of motor vehicles.
The Police said speeding continues to be a major contributory factor to fatal accidents, causing 70 of the 90 by the end of November 2012.
However, enforcement of traffic laws by the police has resulted in a total of 63,439 cases being made against errant motorists by the end of November and of that number 13,664 were for speeding.  
So far this month, five more road fatalities occurred.