Dear Editor,

FOLLOWING an article published in a section of the media on Monday under the title “Top Cop feels short-changed by some court decisions on gun crimes”, I must state that I agree with all of the points raised by the Acting Commissioner of Police, Mr. David Ramnarine, in relation to the court granting bail to serious criminals. It is a disservice to the Guyana Police Force and to the peoples of our country.I do believe that the decision to grant bail to certain criminals makes life very difficult for police officers. It is known that, in the courts, the magistrates and judges have discretionary powers that are not conducive to law and order, as criminals have a tendency of escaping the jurisdiction while on bail.

It is also known that at a particular time on Fridays, referred to as ‘happy hour’, drug dealers, gun smugglers and armed robbers are granted bail in unusually small sums of money as security. On many occasions, the police are never invited to state their objection to bail being granted to certain individuals.

The Chancellor of the Judiciary, working in tandem with the Attorney General and the Ministry of Public Security, needs to create a parameter for bail. Magistrates and judges cannot simply grant bail without seeking the counsel of a higher authority, such as the chancellor, the full court, etc., especially as it relates to serious crimes.

It is noted that granting of bail to these vicious drug lords — as in the case with Dataram and his wife and others — is creating a serious dilemma for law and order in this country, and particularly for the Guyana Police Force. Armed robbers involved in conspiracies and major thefts go on bail, and disguise themselves differently to perpetuate the same kinds of criminality on others or escape their jurisdiction. Some are even known to switch their modus operandi.

It is known, also, that certain lawyers who specialize in manipulating the system have their own network and methodologies to get bail for their clients.

I wish to use this opportunity to ask that the Guyana Police Force, through the Ministry of Public Security, be allowed to establish a wanted persons website and Facebook page for dangerous criminals. It should be announced in the media that such persons have been charged for various serious crimes and have applied for and been granted bail.

The public should be notified in order that persons may object to bail being granted to certain individuals. They may send in their objections via email, and state their reasons for objecting to bail; or they may post their objections on the Facebook page or website or, hand-deliver same to the department that manages these cases.

It is my opinion also that the website and Facebook, along with advertisements for bandits who have escaped our jurisdiction, should be placed in the media in certain places in Suriname and Brazil, where most of our criminals seem to gravitate.

We have seen that the seizure of passports is useless, as passports can be obtained illegally and be fraudulently adjusted.

I am also recommending that an enhanced network of community support be established. In this case, security guards, maybe through GAPSO or the non-GAPSO members, and even watchmen, could be linked in a network as police support. They can be used to filter information to certain dedicated personalities in the various regions regarding criminal activities that are being planned or taking place, or were done in the past.

The people of Guyana must understand that the GPF can function to its maximum capacity only with the cooperation of the citizens of the country. The undersigned is a police mentalist. I will always support law and order and the Guyana Police Force in its legal responsibility to protect the citizens of this country and apprehend the criminals with the view to putting them behind bars until such time that they cannot be useful in crime again.

I personally believe in hard labour; and criminals who are sentenced for certain vicious crimes should be made to serve hard labour to pay for their security, medicine, meals, and miscellaneous charges, or whatever else they may need for their upkeep. I believe this is something that needs to be looked at.

As far as I can recall, Trinidad and Tobago might still be involved in sentencing persons to hard labour. If it is abolished, then that was a recent doing. If it is still being done in Trinidad, we need a high-level team to study hard labour and have it established in Guyana. I volunteer to sit on such a committee at a cost of $1 dollar per year.

The intent is that criminals should not sponge their way in jail at the expense of the tax payers. Further, for persons involved in criminal activities, a major search should be carried out in their lives to identify what properties they own and the amount of money in the bank, so that the state can seize their assets to pay for their upkeep, most of which they might have earned through illegal activities.

It is time for a serious look at crime and punishment in Guyana. I believe in maximum sentences for criminality, especially crimes such as armed robbery, fraud, murder, attempted murder, drug dealing, etc., which leave a serious impact on the lives of our citizens on a daily basis, and which corrupt morals, especially of our youths.
Sincerely,
ROSHAN KHAN
CEO/Founder/Chairman
RK’s Security Services.