No crime upsurge in Tuschen, Zeelugt housing schemes – police

The police today denied reports of an upsurge in crime in the Tuschen and Zeelugt communities on the West Demerara.

The police press release follows:

Cognisant of comments attributed to Alliance for Change (AFC) Councillor Mr. Harry Narine Deokinanan to the effect that there is “rampant criminal activity” in the communities of Tuschen Housing Scheme and Zeelugt Housing Scheme, EBE, of the Police ‘D’ Division, the Guyana Police Force wishes to state that the available statistics do not support such an assertion.

The comments by Mr. Harry Narine Deokinanan were published in an article in the Kaieteur News of Tuesday December 09, 2104, under the heading “Crime forces family to flee home”

The Police records indicate that unto December 09, 2014, there has been an overall 30% decrease in serious crime in the Policing Division.

Specifically, there has been a 33% decrease in serious crime in the communities of Zeelugt Housing Scheme and Tuschen Housing Scheme along with Zeelugt North and Tuschen North.

In terms of policing the area, in addition to routine mobile police patrols in the communities, the members of active Community Policing Groups in the Tuschen Housing Scheme and Zeelugt North assist the police in their crime-fighting efforts.

The ‘D’ Division Administration has reopened the Community Policing Patrol Base in the Tuschen Housing Scheme area during August of this year, following the launching of the Safe Neighbourhood Project C-PETS – Creating Positive Environments through Safer Communities and Partnerships – in the community of Tuschen on July 10, 2014.

The Patrol Base in operationalised through police ranks and members of the Community Policing Group who are available on a 24-hour basis and do patrols in the community.

In addition to its law enforcement activities in the Tuschen/Zeeburg communities, through its social intervention project C-PETS, the Division has managed to build community partnership and improve police community relations.

C-PETS has seen the building of partnerships with stakeholders, community involvement and significant collaboration with the faith based organisations which has the overall objective of reducing crime and the fear of crime in the communities and the enhancing of community safety and security, while empowering youths and reducing incidents of domestic violence.

The Guyana Police Force reiterates that there is no upsurge of crime in the communities of Tuschen and Zeeburg, EBE. On the contrary, the occurrence of serious crime has been significantly minimised through the policing strategies employed together with social intervention projects that have been established.