– as police destroy old arms
Guyana will strengthen the control of its porous borders and increase security cooperation with its neighbours to help curb the distribution and use of small arms by criminal networks here, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee said yesterday as the police destroyed old and outdated firearms.
Rohee’s comments came against the background that both Brazil and Venezuela, countries with which Guyana shares vast, mostly unmanned borders are small arms manufacturers. It has long been surmised that much of the arms and ammunition proliferating in the country at present would have been smuggled through these borders.
Police Commissioner Henry Greene (left) and Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee (second from left) observing the destruction of the weapons.
Addressing those gathered to witness the destruction of the obsolete firearms at the Police Officers Mess, Eve Leary, Georgetown, Rohee said, “The proportion of homicides committed with a handgun is still relatively high and we need to constantly keep working to bring it down.”
He said government was also moving aggressively to transform the security architecture of the country, a process that has been making an impact on criminality and the criminal underworld.
He noted that small arms control continued to be high on the international agenda and more attention was being paid to the demand reduction aspects of small arms violence.
Quoting local statistics, Rohee said that handguns account for more than 38% of homicides, while shotguns account for 6.5%. He added that only 3.2 per cent of homicides were committed with the use of rifles and other weapons accounted for a similar amount.
According to the minister, in ‘A’ Division, 48.9% of the 279 occurrences involved the use of a firearm. However, he said, law enforcement has also had its successes, finding and seizing illegal firearms on a regular basis.
He revealed that between June and September last year, 104 firearms were seized while for the same period this year, 107 have been seized and that ‘A’ and ‘E & F’ divisions recovered the most. Pointing to the recent weapons find by the joint services on Regent Street, he said it was an indication that the law enforcement agencies have neither given up nor become complacent.
Officers of the Guyana Police Force looked on as some of the old weapons were being disassembled and destroyed yesterday.
Rohee said those who live and work in the criminal world were already feeling the impact of the work being done as the law enforcement agencies and the joint services were “dealing blow after blow to the criminals and their organizations in Guyana”.
He said efforts which began since in 1993 with the passage of 23 pieces of anti-crime legislation, with four more yet to come, were all part of the transformation in the anti-crime architecture of the country. The minister also promised a heightening of the implementation process of the Citizen’s Security Programme in another six months. He said the programme would bring about a “sea change” in all the law enforcement agencies and their respective technological and human resource capacities. “To all those who are interested I advise you to stay tuned,” Rohee advised.
He also urged that persons ignore the attention still being paid to “those who seem sorry to know that the ‘Fineman’ gang is now virtually decimated.” The minister said that some 30 of the gang members were incarcerated and awaiting trial, 11 dangerous criminals have since been killed in shoot-outs with the joint services and the rest are being “hounded down day and night”.
He said that the network the gang had established was slowly but surely being dismantled. He acknowledged that there were still challenges and that government, “don’t believe in burying our heads in the sand and to pretend that with Fineman’s demise it is now easy sailing. On the contrary, the struggle, the struggle continues. The storm may be over but the sea is still rough. That’s why we have to remain tough.”
Rohee also pointed out that Guyana has since taken the necessary step to establish a task force on narcotics and illicit weapons, which he said was in fulfilment of the United Nations programme of action to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. He expressed his hope that Guyana would soon endorse the Geneva Declaration and Programme of action on armed violence and development. The declaration represents an important new process, which addresses demand reduction concerns of developing countries who are not manufacturers of such weapons, Rohee said.
How can this be news? Old weapons? What about the more pwerful, modern types already in Guyana in large quantities?
When the government does a sweep of the countryside and rural areas, especially the ruling party constituencies, and makes a major haul of all those illegal weapons being stashed in anticipation of a racial war, then that will make news!
It’s the same approach government has to crime fighting; certain crimes will get maximum attention and make major headline news! Other types of crime are ignored! And as always, those in the good graces of the government are let off the hook!
Say Andy, It seems like you know “too” (in de know) which U.S State dem weapons did ship from. Eh!
Rohee waited until citizens families got hacked to death, citizens robbed, raped u name them before he decided to do something about it, we bloggers has be blogging about these opened borders, the Govermnent and all of their friends reads the papers, he don’t even need to read, common sense would have told all of them to secure these boarders, these criminals are coming into Guyana from all angles, offering good money to do their dirty work, we cannot go into their country as we like, why are they allowed to come into our Country, bring their drug trades, stay as long as they like, make children there, and no questions asked.
The boarders all around needs to be closed or moniter, Guyanese were never into drugs years ago, now we r carrying a bad name, because of the Government, the Government who don’t care a darn of these teens, who are not placed in some sort of program, after school trades that would afford them to become better men and women of society.
Around the airport (CJIA,) has children who should have been is school ,are seen there begging and stealing, some of them are shirtless, years ago, children used to be picked up if they r seen on the streets, parents were visited by the probation officer, I remember that a group of us girls, used to scult in bourda market when we had to do maths, we were caught by Mr. Richards and taken to school, the teachers didn’t used to play, (a good set of lashes on the back,) we were afraid to even complain to our parents, now the kids r different, they r not really bad kids that cannot changethey just needs guidance and other avenues to turn their lives around, the Government and parents are responsible and r to be blamed.
Hi Cheryl, Re: “The boarders all around needs to be closed or monite(o)r, Guyanese were never into drugs years ago, now we r carrying a bad name, because of the Government, the Government who don’t care a darn of these teens, who are not placed in some sort of program, after school trades that would afford them to become better men and women of society….”] Was it not shortly after a certain Guyanese Leader may a statement to the effect that “if Guyana did not get support from North America with its development needs/requirements that this (trade in illegal drugs…) was going to be the results.
It is any wonder when Guyana is so richly endowed with all the potential mineral and other resources that Guyanese nationals could have become engaged in such activities while other nationals (Russians, Chinese, Malaysians …. ) are taking over such industries as bauxite, gold and diamonds, timber, telecommunication et cetera, et cetera. (the Hoyte Administration’s doings and continued under the PPP Administrations); And, the country can only afford a few second hand helicopters to fight crime and at the same time keep and eye on Guyana’s massive open borders.
So much for good governance and exemplary leadership. :-(
Rohee those old and rusted weapons that is shown in this picture been destroyed is a big joke. Do you think that the public should believe this articile, hell nooooooooo. A lot of the weapons that were in Police Custody were sold and given away by the police to commit crimes in Guyana back in the days and if possible to present. I do not trust any of your boys.
Cheryl you are so correct, but honey they do not care a darn about anyone else but themselves. We bloggers have to continue blogging and share our point of view and not be afraid to do so, may be they will one day wake up and smell the coffee. I am so afraid to go home on holidays Cheryl. Cheryl I think we both need to run for office back home, Smile so that we can make changes.
The crime rate in Guyana comes from everything that you mentioned in your blog and that is a fact. Get the present government out and do so as soon as possible. We need a Change in Guyana so that they will have improvements in the country because at this stage they are nothing achieving anything, the poor people are the ones that are suffering that most.
these officers standing, afraid to get their clothes wrinkle.
Y’all gie Rohee a break. E jus come back/wake up/able to comment/ or something.
Henry – you gotta do something ’bout de stummick. It lil big fuh true, an dat does cause health problems!
Correction: “a certain Guyanese Leader may have made a statement to the effect that” instead of “a certain Guyanese Leader may a statement to the effect that”. Thanks.