THE Guyana Police Force (GPF) is closing 2025 with a performance record it has not seen in a decade.
From sharp declines in serious crime to unprecedented narcotics seizures and a doubling of cybercrime convictions, the latest statistics presented by Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum paint a portrait of a force that is not only evolving, but finally beginning to reap the benefits of a more modern, intelligence-driven approach to policing.
These are not minor shifts. They are structural.
Cybercrime enforcement, an area that just a few years ago exposed glaring deficiencies in training and technology, has nearly doubled in case volume and doubled in convictions.
Drug enforcement, often a bellwether of regional criminal networks, saw the GPF seize a staggering 233 kilogrammes of cocaine this year, compared to just six kilogrammes in 2024. That represents not simply improved interdiction, but a meaningful disruption in supply chains.
On the ground, the improvements are even more striking. Serious crime has fallen from 1,070 reports in 2024 to 801 in 2025, the lowest figure in ten years. Robbery, long one of the public’s greatest concerns, has plummeted to its lowest point in a decade as well.
A crime category that once peaked at 1,237 cases in 2017 now stands at just 270.
This is not a statistical blip; it is a transformation.
Even break-and-enter and larceny, crimes that tend to rise with urban expansion and holiday activity, have dropped to a decade-low of 190 cases, a far cry from the 1,287 logged during the peak years.
These are commendable outcomes. And they reflect a strategy that appears both deliberate and data-driven.
The GPF’s refined time-based deployment, informed by real-time analytics and grounded in intelligence-led zoning, has yielded impressive results across every block of the day.
The most vulnerable window, 6:01 p.m. to midnight, saw incidents fall from 174 to 111. Afternoon robberies dropped from 52 to just four, an almost unheard-of improvement.
Such declines do not happen by chance. They are the product of targeted patrols, stronger inter-divisional coordination, better mobile capacity, and the increasing use of CCTV monitoring and real-time information flow.
And they showcase what modern policing should look like: precision, agility, and proactive intervention, not merely reaction.
But this is where the editorial must take a sober turn.
The numbers, while encouraging, present the beginning of a larger challenge: sustaining the progress.
Guyanese citizens have long demanded a police force that is professional, consistent, and capable of protecting them without exception or excuse.
The GPF now has the momentum, the systems, and the results to demonstrate it can do just that. But momentum is a fragile resource.
It requires constant investment, not only in vehicles and technology, but in training, supervision, integrity systems, community partnerships, and internal accountability.
It is important to remember that Christmas is the most challenging season for any police force. High traffic, increased commerce, late-night shopping, and heightened social activity create fertile ground for criminal opportunity.
Crime Chief Blanhum is right to underscore that intensified patrols and enhanced visibility will be necessary to protect the gains made thus far.
Still, the biggest test of the GPF’s new strategy is not Christmas, it is the year after.
Will the intelligence-led model expand or stall? Will cybercrime capacity continue to grow, or fall behind evolving threats? Will deployment discipline be maintained once the holiday pressure eases? Will the culture of the organisation keep pace with its technology and tactics?
These are the questions that will determine whether 2025 was a turning point or merely an exceptional year.
For now, Guyana should recognise the positive trajectory. Crime is falling, sharply and demonstrably.
The Force is improving, structurally and strategically. And the public, for the first time in many years, can see evidence of a police service that is becoming more modern, more responsive, and more capable.
But success must never lead to complacency.
If the Guyana Police Force is to maintain its stride into 2026 and beyond, it must treat these gains not as a destination, but as a foundation.
The next decade of policing starts now, and the expectations of the Guyanese public are higher than ever.