Up to the end of last month, there had been 94 murders recorded for the year, representing an 18% increase over the 80 murders recorded during the same period last year, the police force announced yesterday.
Last month, the force reported that a total of 79 murders had been recorded at the end of June, compared to 69 murders at the end of June 2014, which represented an increase of 14%.
So far, four murders were recorded for the month up to Thursday this week, taking the total number for the year to 98. On August 1st, Danrasie Ganesh, 77, was clubbed to death at a house, for which she was the caretaker, at Montrose, East Coast Demerara.
Her murder was recorded by surveillance cameras at the property but the perpetrator is yet to be captured.
On August 5th, Akeem Yorrick, 23, a mason of Prince William Street, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara was shot to his abdomen. He died shortly after he was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
At the time Yorrick was shot he was reportedly headed home after visiting his girlfriend.
Next, Zhenjz Su, 35, proprietor of the Jade Stone Chinese Restaurant, popularly known as the ‘Black Chiney’ restaurant, located along Mandela Avenue, was murdered on August 7th. Su’s wife, Fei, was attacked and robbed by a group of men in their house above the restaurant.
After the attack, she discovered the body of her husband in the lower flat of the building with his feet tied, his mouth gagged, and a chop wound to his head.
On Monday, the body of a Brazilian national, Domingo Rodrigues Santos, 40, of Quamina Street, Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara, was found at Mahdia with a stab wound to his chest.
Serious crimes
Meanwhile, according to the statistics released yesterday by the force, there was also a 10% increase in serious crimes up to the end of July, in comparison with the same period in 2014.
Serious crimes include murder, armed robbery, robbery with violence, robbery with aggravation, larceny from the person, break and enter and larceny, burglary, rape, and kidnapping.
Up to the end of July, police said armed robbery has decreased overall by 2% in comparison to the same period in 2014.
The statistics indicate a decrease of 4% in the number of armed robberies involving the use of firearms, while the number of armed robberies where instruments other than firearms were used by the perpetrators has increased by 3%. Break and enter and larceny and burglary have shown an overall increase of 9%.
Meanwhile, the police force said it is continuing in its efforts aimed at crime prevention through its police-community partnership programme, along with social crime prevention interventions in the various policing divisions, with special emphasis on empowering youths.
