THE three abducted (kidnapped) women in Cleveland, Ohio, were rescued last month with the intervention of neighbours and police.  It shows that if people take an active interest, crime can be successfully fought. In Guyana, people do not offer much assistance to the police.

In fact, in some communities, people collaborate with criminals because
they are beneficiaries of the largesse taken from hard- working people.  Also, some political parties and their leaders are known to have defended criminals calling them freedom fighters.
In the U.S., CBS News reported that about 45% of abducted and kidnapped victims have been found or rescued.  That is a relatively high success rate compared say with Guyana where few, if any, are freed after being victims of kidnapping or disappearance.
So many cases of disappearance have gone unanswered in Guyana for decades.
In the U.S., hundreds disappear every year whereas in Guyana, only a handful are reported missing and fewer kidnapped. Yet, the Americans have a significant success rate compared with Guyana’s.
Guyanese police need to do a better job in finding the disappeared and kidnapped. And people in Guyana need to cooperate with police to solve crimes.
We are a small society and have an idea of who are committing the major crimes, preying on hard- working people.
Guyana needs to emulate the American model, as exemplified in the Cleveland rescue case, when neighbours heard screams and rushed to free the hapless victims while calling in police support.
Police quickly moved in to rescue the victims who had been held in confinement for 10 years. Guyanese need to stop taking this hands-off approach.  They should keep a watchful eye on their surroundings for criminal activities and call in the police for help.
Politicians and political parties also need to stop praising criminals and saluting their activities. Team work and cooperation between people and the police will help to bring down crime in our country.
Also, instead of sensationalising criminal activities to sell newspapers, the media should help the authorities to solve crimes.