THE euphoria of the media’s headlines screaming of the Guyana Police Force capturing a mastermind of the myriad bank-related robberies seems to have subsided into a profoundly sad whisper of hope.

Every day the bandits get bolder. Every day they enter the barbarous arena at a younger age. And now young women are vying for their places in the conscious-less milieu.

They are all bound by the quest to join the nouveau riche without having to expend one iota of sweat. Families are aware of their relatives’ way of life and they subliminally endorse same with entreaties such as: “Try bring back a raise…I ain’t got nothing to cook.”

According to the Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum, a ringleader who was recently captured was deeply involved in robbing customers leaving commercial banks. He admitted to being a facilitator for his group, providing them with firearms and the ubiquitous CG motorcycles.

Since then the man has been charged, bail has been posted, and he is somewhere out there honing his craft to better his modus operandi.
It’s frustrating. There must be a way of keeping repeat offenders behind bars. Although many bank-robbing groups have been dismantled, the robbers pompously taunt the cops with the refrain: “Shooting me is a waste
Another Rasta gun take mi place.”

There was a time when the belief was that bank tellers were co-operating with the robbers, but that theory went out of the window with the accuracy of victim-spotting inside the bank and the relentless pursuits afterwards.
A special police squad has to be set up along with strengthened security in and around all the banks. The members must be trained as spotters and equipped with electronic gadgetry to relay precise information.
It is no longer guess work. The well-dressed man (and sometimes woman) enters the bank, joins a line and takes time to recce. As soon as a victim is spotted collecting a large amount of cash, the spotter exits the bank and gives a signal.

The sleek CG motor cycle moves to pick up the pillion rider and together they zero in on the victim. Time and distance mean nothing. They have done this countless times. And the gun in the rider’s waist has ‘real’ bullets. We cannot remain dinosaurs in this fast-paced world, out-paced and out-manoeuvred. Crime and violence are at a near crisis level in these parts. Mr Commissioner, while people must desist from travelling with large sums, the trained policemen could put a heavy dent in the bandits’ operations.

Evidence has shown that crime has its genesis in the society and its growth and pattern need to be addressed not only through applying crime-solving methods, but also putting in place preventive measures, which take on board a scientific approach in gathering and analysing data. It is within this context that our approach to crime and crime-fighting can engender positive results and societal development. Crime speaks to a violation of the laws. Equally, crime cannot be fought by committing crimes and this is why it becomes important to recognise that the upholding of laws is hinged on crime-fighting and development. When a nation accepts crime as destructive, regardless of the socio-economic and political standing of the perpetrators and is prepared to treat all equally before the law, it creates the desire to put systems in place to address crime in an holistic manner.