Seven arrests made from online reports

The Guyana Police Force has so far made seven arrests from 51 reports made by citizens using the Online Crime Reporting System (OCRS) launched last year.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the statistics are based on a review of the use of the facility from July 18 to December 14, 2012.

It noted that although the facility was officially launched in October, actual use started on July 18, 2012 and the reports made have provided a great deal of intelligence to the Criminal Investigations Department.

Police received 51 reports from the public, from which 52 offences were identified and seven persons arrested arising from the reports, the ministry said.

According to the release, the reports indicate that the public was most concerned about incidences of drug trafficking; robberies; damage to property caused by rampaging stray animals; and domestic violence.

Police are continuing investigations into the reports that have been received, the ministry added, while encouraging the public to continue to use their internet-ready devises to report crimes by sending images, sound recordings, video, text messages and even website URLs to the police.

Text messages can be sent to telephone numbers 623-6068 or 623-6072, BlackBerry Messages can be sent to 2804E429 or 2828B269, while e-mails can be sent to crimestoppersgy@yahoo.com, crimestoppersgy@hotmail.com or crimestoppersgy@gmail.com.

“Persons who wish to remain anonymous can do so since the OCRS does not require the reporter to reveal his or her identity,” the ministry said. It also noted that it is working to add more features to make the system more user-friendly.