The rising crime rate will deter foreign experts from coming to Guyana at a time when their expertise is needed

Dear Editor,

Yesterday at 5:42 am, I was the victim of an attempted armed robbery near the corners of Alexander Street and North Road, whilst out for my morning run.

Four criminals, riding on two CG motorcycles, held me at gunpoint, and while I immediately screamed for help, I was, at the same time, able to pull the pin on my personal alarm device, and most fortunately for me, the bandits immediately decamped when the alarm sounded.

A very kind local motorist picked me up and we were able to pursue the perpetrators for a short distance but eventually lost track of them.

Since I first arrived in Guyana as an expatriate in 2012, there is no doubt in my mind that criminal acts of this kind, particularly in the capital Georgetown (once feted as the Garden City of the Caribbean), have shown a significant increase, despite what the published police crime figures are purporting to show.

The public in general have become so used to such incidents that, unless there is serious injury or loss of life, or high-value assets are stolen, these occurrences are just not reported to the police.

However, in the hope that the newly-installed city-wide surveillance camera systems are actually in full operation and might be able to trace the miscreants, I made a report to the CID at the Alberttown Police Station, where I was treated promptly and with courtesy by the detective involved.

Recurring incidents of this type, plus several well-publicised violent home invasions in recent years, are certain to deter citizens of other nations from taking up temporary residence in Guyana, just when such people are required to assist the nation in capacity building on the back of recent oil discoveries and the development of natural resources and the economy in general.

Until residents of the capital are able to tear down the double strands of razor wire from the perimeters of their homes with confidence, and until static overnight security officers on premises are no longer needed, Georgetown’s reputation as a crime-infested metropolis will not be changed for the better.

Yours faithfully,

Ian A. Christie