EVEN as the Guyana Police Force Major Crimes Unit and other divisions within the Police Force are tackling the carjacking rings head on, Crime Chief Paul Williams is urging owners of vehicles not to let their guards down as the fight is not yet over.

“Do not be relaxed, I don’t think it’s totally over, it simply means that it is being quelled because of our proactive approach and we are able to suppress it, but there are still persons out there who are lurking and are just waiting for the opportunity to strike,” Williams told Guyana Chronicle.

He explained that the police have been able to put a dent in the carjacking rings after carefully accessing the trend in the various divisions and among persons who were arrested for armed robberies.
He said the police have been able to determine that in many instances, persons involved in robberies are also into car theft.

He noted that when they arrest suspects and impound their vehicles, checks would normally find the colours, chassis numbers and other components of the vehicles do not match the information on the registrations.
Williams made reference to an operation in Herstelling some two weeks ago where a bodywork shop was searched and several vehicle parts were seized.
Upon further investigations, it was discovered that at least three of the parts found in the shop were from stolen vehicles.

According to the Crime Chief, the puzzle began to unravel after the police arrested an ex-policeman and another resident of North Ruimveldt during an operation in Linden. The men had provided the police with an overwhelming amount of information that saw the dismantling of the carjacking rings.
“The Old Year’s Day robbery in Linden where ex-policeman Waldron and another guy were arrested, this engagement itself bore fruit in terms of a lot of information leading us to a number of vehicles that were being hijacked. So when you look at it, so far since our involvement and our breakthroughs, we have seen a lull in the practice” according to Williams.

Williams said Guyanese still need to be alert and vigilant as there are still persons out there who are lurking and waiting for persons to lapse. He spoke of two carjacking incidents on the same night over in the West Demerara area where, in one instance, the suspects were forced to abandon the vehicle and flee after encountering a roadblock.
He added that carjackers are going after vehicles which are no longer permitted to enter the country. Their parts are stolen and stocked up for sales.
Plans are in the pipeline to establish a taskforce to tackle the carjacking rings in a more targeted and sustained way, Williams reiterated.

The taskforce will comprise a number of agencies, including the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Revenue Authority and other key organisations.
Already, the GRA has been working with the police to dismantle illegal shops and other facilities which facilitate the carjacking trade.

“We are still mobilising to have a countrywide campaign and we are getting support from the Guyana Revenue Authority as we seek to establish a task force. In that task force there are other things that we will be looking at rather than just stolen vehicles or stolen motor parts; we are working on intelligence and wherever it leads we are going,” said the crime chief.

Over the weekend, several operations conducted by the police unearthed several car parts suspected to be stolen and or otherwise illegally obtained. Several persons are expected to be dragged before the courts for these offences.