TWENTY men from the communities of Craig and Diamond, East Bank Demerara were picked up by the police during the course of Saturday morning as law enforcement react to an increase in petty crimes along the East Bank corridor.

Of the 20 people arrested, one was identified by the police as a young man who was wanted since earlier in the year in connection with a wounding matter.

The police were still, up to afternoon on Saturday, trying to ascertain if any of the others picked up were wanted in connection with any offences.

Commander of the East Coast Demerara corridor, Senior Superintendent Simon, related that the other persons would be placed on identification parades to see if they are positively identified by victims who reported they were robbed.

The senior superintendent said the persons were not being investigated for specific crimes. The operation was led by a superintendent and two other officers along with in excess of 35 ranks who provided support.

Recently, petty crimes have been on the increase where individuals with criminal intent have been preying on unsuspecting persons and robbing them at nights and even during the day.

The prevalence of these occurrences has been more in Georgetown and around the Stabroek Market area which is usually congested.

What is known is that in addition to the patrols which are visible, the police have been monitoring the CCTV cameras which covers the target areas.