Youths top list of serious offenders, crime chief says

– Granger urges better education, jobs

Police say the majority of serious crimes are being committed by people between the ages of 14 and 35 years old, a situation which Opposition Leader David Granger believes could be corrected with a revamped education system and the creation of jobs for young people.

Crime Chief Seelall Persaud recently shared startling statistics with members of the media, revealing that between January and October this year, 165 persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years old were charged with committing “street crimes” and of this number over 50 were repeat offenders.

Eighty-three persons aged 25 to 34 years old had also been charged with street crimes over the same period as well as 39 people aged 34 to 44 years old and five persons aged 45 to 54.

Seelall Persaud
Seelall Persaud

Using a PowerPoint presentation which included pie charts and tables, Persaud revealed that “youths are disproportionally represented as the largest group involved in crimes; as victims and as perpetrators.” He said the large majority are below 35 years, adding that the large majority of repeat offenders are also within this age range.

Serious crimes include murders, armed robbery, rape and break and enter.

He stated that the large majority of persons charged with robbery-related murders are below 35 years old and the largest category of murders police investigators are faced with are disorderly murders.

When it comes to break-ins, he said that once again the largest number of persons charged was below 35 years of age, “significantly they are between 15 and 34,” he said. Based on the chart, there were 14 persons between the ages of 10 and 14 who were charged; 150 persons aged 15 to 24 years old; 80 persons aged 25 to 34; 63 aged 35 to 44; and 19 from the 45 to 56 years category. He said that in this category of crime, the highest number of repeat offenders was between ages 15 and 24.

Of the persons charged with rape the large majority were below age 24. According to Persaud, 42 persons between the ages of 15 and 24 were charged with rape; 17, aged 25 to 34; 11 aged 35 to 44 and 15 aged 45 to 54.

Persaud said that 78% of the persons charged with serious crimes were below 35 years old and 52% of the repeat offenders were also below 35. Based on the pie charts produced, 377 were from the 15-24 years category; 202 from 25-34 years; 120 from 35 to 44 and 42 from 45 to 54.

Persaud said too that 26% of the persons charged with murder were previously charged with a serious offence, while 80% of persons charged with robbery-related murders were below 35 years old. As regards street crimes, 93.6% of repeat offenders were below 35 years; 74.4% of persons charged with break-in offences were below 35 years and 16.5% were repeat offenders. Persaud said 66.3% of persons charged with rape are below 35 years.

Persaud also shared photographs of a number of persons who fell within the 15 and 35 years category and had been charged with serious crimes. Among them were members of the Albouystown based “Hot Skull” Group, the Meten-Meer-Zorg group and the trio killed in Prashad Nagar in February.

Theoretical perspective

Noting that a lot of the perpetrators are in their teens and early twenties, Persaud said research had revealed that biological and socio-economic factors were often responsible.

He said a pathologist had come up with the biological factors, while with socio-economic factors there are theories that being born into depressed families and having little education can push one in the direction of crime.

According to Persaud, the force has embarked on a number of programmes to help deal with the crime situation affecting the vulnerable grouping.  He said that just recently the ‘Safe Neighbourhood Programme’ was introduced by the Ministry of Home Affairs. He explained that with this programme depressed communities in Region Four and Six were identified and a number of pilot projects were introduced. “We work with youths, give them vocational training,” he said, adding that this has allowed the force to work with the wider community to look at things such as cleaning up the community, violence in all its forms and drug use.

Persaud added that throughout the country, the force has a number of youth clubs and scout groups. He said that the 15-34 age group is targeted and the youth are taught inter-personal skills among other things.

He said too that first offenders for minor offences, “instead of throwing them before the justice system, we allow the faith-based officers in communities to work with them and give them a second chance to see if they can address behaviour, faults and so…” Additionally, he said, the force is working with religious organisations and he singled out the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG).

He said the force believes such organisations have the expertise to help deal with tackling the crime situation, in addition to which, these groups have the same interest in the community as the police; that is for people to live normal lives. “They have expertise in dealing with people. So to that we add some of our own expertise and some muscle to get rid of criminal elements in communities,” he stressed.

Time bomb     

Meanwhile, Granger said that he had previous spoken about the seriousness of so many young people being involved in criminal activity and had actually used the words that “we are sitting on a time bomb.” He said youth unemployment cannot continue. He noted that on a yearly basis thousands are dropping out of school.

“Many of them are not fully literate or numerate and [this] has an effect on their ability to get jobs and there is a large number of unemployed people. I’m not saying that every unemployed person is a criminal. What I am saying is that there is a possibility that these unemployed young people could be seduced into criminal activities in the hope of getting money,” he said.

Granger stressed that the problem affecting young people is a very serious one but “we have to go back and rectify the problems in the education system.” He expressed the view that a person who gets a chance to complete secondary school and go to university is not “gonna get caught up in that type of gang. So I think what we have been seeing has been a fall out of a faulty education system and the failure of this administration to create jobs for young people.”