The authorities should partner with citizens to deal with crime

Dear Editor,

The recent suicides at the seawall appear to be a very sad story. It has been rumoured that the couple was seen by passersby sitting on the seawall under an umbrella, on more than one day.

Very, very sad indeed! Really there should be deterrence measures in place to prevent a recurrence of a similar situation. Or any suicide for that matter. Bills in the pocket of the late lad indicated that the suicide was premeditated

In addition, peer pressure, especially in schools, is a very painful something for our kids and must not be ignored. Let us look at our kids more closely. We may not know what our kids are going through. Many of them have dual personality syndromes; they pray with you at home but you would be surprised what they become when they are out of your sight. Let’s nip it in the bud before it is too late.

Then, the various crimes, over the years, that are permeating our society are also matters of major urgent concern. Within seconds, people’s lives are altered tremendously by miscreants.

Suggestions should really be encouraged and looked at with a view to minimizing these criminal acts. The relevant authorities should partner with the citizens, and establish regional committees. The CCTV appears to be working well for traffic offenders. The violators of traffic laws are also committing crimes, but we would certainly like to see the faces of criminals on camera, just like the one that went to Goed Fortuin to illegally remove a motor cycle and was caught on the Demerara Bridge camera.

Maybe, my friends at the NGO, Youth Challenge, Guyana, should carry out a deeper investigation into the circumstances of the recent suicide on the seawall and develop programmes to deal with such matters, like counselling for instance. I am confident that the YCG is proficient in dealing with such matters. I know that many suicides are secret and they are only known after they have happened, but surely we can open up to the public and invite troubled minds in for free counselling.

Also the Human Rights Association should be put to task by the populace to find solutions to the spate of crimes, or they will be judged as favouring those who commit the crimes.

Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Jamal Imran