Police Commissioner (ag) Henry Greene yesterday said that Guyanese are living in serious times, disclosing that there has been a six per cent increase in violent crimes and the murder rate for this year was double that for the corresponding period last year.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the annual police officers’ conference, Greene told the gathering, which included President Bharrat Jagdeo and other senior government officials, that the two recent slaughters, which claimed the lives of 23 people had made a mockery of the strides the force made last year.
“We thought that in 2007 we had accomplished much but the events of January 25 and February 17 have brought us back…,” the commissioner acknowledged. Guyana witnessed a 23% drop in serious crimes last year with the murder rate being at its lowest in five years, but Greene said criminals declaring themselves “freedom fighters” had decided to rock the boat.
Gunmen believed to be led by the country’s most wanted man, Rondell ’Fineman’ Rawlins, using high-powered weapons in January stormed the small farming community of Lusignan killing 11 people, including five children. Three weeks later, gunmen descended on the mining township of Bartica slaughtering 12 people, including three policemen.
Security officials have been unable to capture the masterminds of the two attacks, although they have charged two men with the killings. The first attack had come days after Rawlins’s reputed wife reportedly went missing and the fugitive had supposedly contacted police threatening to create mayhem if she was not returned safely. Following this, there was an attack on the police headquarters, and then the slaying of a soldier, Ivor Williams, before the Lusignan mass killing.
67 murders
Speaking last week on the television programme “Law Enforcement and You” hosted by the National Communications Network, Crime Chief Seelall Persaud had alluded to the steep increase in violent crimes for this year.
“We have seen a slight decrease in gun robberies, but we have also seen a huge increase in the number of murders for this year,” Persaud said on the programme. He added that for the first quarter of last year, there were 26 murders, but they have counted over 67 this year so far. “Even if we took out the 23 murders from the two massacres we still have a steep increase,” Seelall said.
Greene said the force had evidence that a gang, which first surfaced following the 2002 jailbreak, had regrouped and it was bent on driving fear and terror into the Guyanese people. He said despite several operations from 2002 to now, which sought to dismantle the gang, it had sprung up again.
“We are in serious times, but we must take time to sit down and review what we have done over the years and where necessary make changes,” Greene told the officers attending the conference. He said the only thing constant was change, noting that there could be no evolution without change.
Greene also acknowledged that people were living in a changing world where drugs and crime scenes have shifted, forcing leaders across the region and the world to sit down and come up with solutions, referring to the recent regional crime summit in Trinidad and Tobago. He said that as Guyana grappled with the burgeoning crime crisis there were many suggestions as to how things could be handled, but he emphasized that one thing was constant amidst the struggle — the objective of the police force, which is to serve and protect citizens.
Reforms
Touching on reforms, Greene said much has been talked about this, referring to the various security schemes, including the British-funded Security Sector Reform Plan and the Citizens Security Programme. The police chief said both of these programmes were geared to bring greater efficiency to the way they do things at Eve Leary, while at the same time stem the tide of crime here.
“We support reforms… change and review… is what we should be engaged in,” Greene declared.
Speaking about the conference, which was pushed back from February owing to the two massacres, Greene said there was enough to discuss and review given the events that took place. The police commissioner also mentioned that a new forensic laboratory was to be established shortly and training for ranks would be done both locally and overseas. He disclosed that under the security sector reform plan, some policemen have already been trained in intelligence gathering and overseas experts were to come here shortly to train ranks attached to the anti-crime and special firearms units.
The police chief also spoke of the upgrade of the 911 system, the link with the police force and the Guyana Revenue Authority in handling traffic matters and a move to establish a quick response unit at every police station across the country. “There is no officer in the force who does not understand the gravity of the situation we are in, but they are ready to stand with the government to ensure peace prevails in the land,” Greene declared.
The conference, being held under the theme, ‘Building confidence and goodwill through reform, partnerships, training and effective policing’ is expected to address issues such as drug smuggling, illegal firearms and the changing nature of crime.
