OWING to new strategies employed by the Guyana Police Force, Regional Division 4 ‘A’ has recorded a 31 per cent reduction in serious crimes for the period January to May 31, 2022, against the same period in 2021.

This is according to Regional Commander, Assistant Commissioner Simon McBean.

Regional Division 4 ‘A’ spans Cummings Lodge on the East Coast of Demerara, to Agricola on the East Bank of Demerara.

Serious crimes include murder, robbery under arms, robbery with violence, robbery with aggravation, larceny from the person, break and enter and larceny, burglary, rape, and kidnapping.

During the Guyana Police Force’s ‘Police and You’ programme, McBean noted that these reductions were significant in the months of May and April.

“We have been seeing some form of improvement in our comparative serious crime analysis. Thus far, a comparative analysis from last year [around] this time, we [have] a 31 per cent decrease in all serious crimes if we look at it in comparison to last year and we have been improving also from April, if we compare April and May, we have had a decrease in crime between May and April also.”

McBean noted that these reductions have been possible through the newly implemented strategies that were devised to tackle crime. He noted that emphasis has been placed on bolstering police presence across the country, explaining that this has significantly aided with the efficient response to reported crimes and even crimes in progress.

According to McBean, the government has been investing significantly in ensuring police presence is boosted across the country, with several new police stations and outposts being built to achieve this vision.

The commander spoke directly about the recent commissioning of the $7 million police outpost that was built in the new Cummings Lodge housing development, describing it as an example of the force’s preparedness.

He noted that the construction of that outpost aligns with the Police Force’s vision of reducing crime, even within a community that is still undergoing a massive transformation.

“We have the new scheme in Cummings Lodge and we recently commissioned a new police outpost to deal with any eventuality within that area; so as the communities grow, we, as law enforcement, have to grow with them, we have to put systems in place to effectively police those areas,” McBean said.

The Regional Commander noted that another major instrument that has helped with the significant reduction of crime is partnerships with several stakeholders, including the private sector and policing groups across the region.

McBean opined that these strategic partnerships have boosted the force’s capacity to conduct investigations and identify areas necessary for added security presence. He said that policing groups have also played a pivotal role as these groups, in many cases, acted as the eyes and ears for the regional security systems and tremendously aided in crime-fighting within the region.