Dear Editor,
Guyanese from all walks of life have raised their voices out of urgent concern in relation to the high crime rate that is currently being experienced. Without doubt, the fear of the Guyanese people for their families’ safety has not been felt so acutely for a long time.
Sympathisers of the regime and several others never fail to point out that under the PPP/C administration, crime was high. Even the Stabroek News of October 25, 2016, spoke of this. It was at the time making reference to remarks made by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo. What they failed to point out is that the nature of crimes then was different.
The period 2002 to 2007 saw the occurrence of several horrendous crimes, which occurred after the famous February 23, 2002, jailbreak when five dangerous criminals escaped from the Georgetown Prison. Those criminals were given political protection in an attempt to destabilise the PPP/C administration. Some even branded these murderers ‘freedom fighters’.
The Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan, in the Stabroek News edition of October 25, quoted a CDB report, which stated that youth unemployment in Guyana is now at 40%.
With no initiatives being taken to create jobs, people are losing hope and some have resorted to criminal activities.
The Guyana Police Force continues to release statistics to show that crime is on the decline, but people do not believe this. The police should be careful with these figures, they could become discredited. However, it must be made clear that the police alone cannot reduce the occurrence of these types of crime which are currently taking place.
The Commissioner of Police (ag) has expressed some strong views on the role of the judiciary in crime-fighting. He is only partially correct in this regard. In passing, I have noticed that he has not mentioned the consistent release of prisoners from the lockups. What the public needs to know is what kind of crime the persons being released were charged/convicted for and how many go back to crime. I have no doubt that this, too, contributes to crimes in the society.
However, the crimes that are being committed now are strongly linked to the state and performance of the economy. It is noticeable that very few large and secure businesses are being attacked. The focus is on small bottom-house shops whose owners cannot afford adequate security personnel and/or equipment. Persons conducting business in the city are also targets of criminals looking for easy prey.
It, therefore, means that the government, instead of concentrating on firing suspected PPP supporters and shutting down a sugar estate, should change their line. The focus must be on growing the economy, creating the conditions for full employment.
That, together with good policing and addressing the issues raised by the Commissioner (ag) will go a far way in drastically reducing the crime rate.
Yours faithfully,
Donald Ramotar
Former President
