Guyana is among the countries of the Caribbean Community that are most afflicted by an epidemic of murder and robberies, as well as frightening levels of deaths and serious injuries from road accidents.The shooting death of an armed robber at the home of an Annandale businessman on Friday night, and the deaths, by accident, in the Essequibo of a 72-year-old father and his 44-year-old son, both overseas-based, while walking back to their home are the latest of such human tragedies.
It seems  quite evident that if there is to be an effective campaign against gun-related murders and robberies, as well as curbing the carnage on our roads, there must be serious involvement of the citizens of this nation, irrespective of politics, race and social status.
And those in the habit of attacking the police and offering excuses for the spreading epidemic of criminality should consider engaging in some critical self-examination of how their posturings are contributing to emboldening killers and robbers.
They should, for a start, think of how helpful they could be in embracing a national anti-crime campaign by, for example, becoming involved in the network of Community Policing Groups (CPGs) mushrooming in various parts of the country to assist the police in ensuring a rule of law environment across this nation.
The launching last Wednesday of a Community Policing Group at No.76 Village in the Corentyne was a reminder that there are now 266 such groups, involving over four thousand (4,000) Guyanese, of various races and classes, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
What a commendable effort by these Guyanese who sacrifice sleep and rest, and commit themselves to helping the Guyana Police Force to arrest the spiraling wave of killings and robberies that are affecting citizens everywhere — in the capital of Georgetown, in towns and villages, mining, manufacturing and commercial  centres — everywhere and in various ways.
Political  parties should cut their opportunistic, divisive, self-serving  sabre-rattling politics, and focus instead on how they could more effectively cooperate in the huge battle against criminality that affect, in so many ways, normal life, causing fear and even panic among  citizens.
It is better to focus on national mobilization against the armed robbers and killers, rather than to unintentionally encourage them by launching unwarranted attacks on the police. By so doing, they would inspire the professionally committed ranks of the GPF to do some house-cleaning of their own when it comes to exposing and lawfully dealing with the alleged corrupt cops among them.
The time is overdue for citizens to engage in a national campaign against the criminals, BEFORE we sink to the dangerous levels now causing national horrors in some other CARICOM states.
In the meanwhile, new policies and strategies must evolve to implement an effective national campaign against carnage on the roads, often resulting from drunken driving and reckless speeding.