Guyana Police Force (GPF) records indicate that there has been at least a 5 percent increase in armed robberies during the first quarter of 2011, a senior police source reported.
The source said that when compared to the same period in last year the number of armed robberies reported to police from January 1 to March 31 has “without a doubt” seen an increase.
“At the beginning of the year we usually see an increase in armed robberies and then it usually slows down during the year,” the source told Stabroek News.
The source declined to release figures recorded by the GPF and explained that Stabroek News would have to write to the Commissioner of Police Henry Greene requesting robbery statistics. While the first three months of this year have shown an increase in this particular serious crime, the source stated, the GPF expects the rate at which it is committed to slow down as 2011 progresses.
From January 1 to March 31, a 90-day period, police reported 50 cases of armed robberies in their usually daily statements issued to the media. This means that an armed robbery was committed every 1.8 days (43 hours 12 minutes) in Guyana during this period. (However, it must be noted that the rate at which this particular crime is committed is calculated based on only those robberies that would have been released to the media by police.)
Guns were used in 86 percent (43) of the armed robberies reported by police during the first quarter of 2011. Attackers were armed with knives only in three cases, with guns and knives in three cases, and with another implement in one other case.
Of these reported cases, 50 percent occurred in the Police A Division (Conversation Tree to Dora); this is more than twice the numbers recorded in other divisions. Police B (Berbice), C (East Coast Demerara), D (West Demerara/East Bank Essequi-bo) and E&F (Linden and interior locations) divisions recorded 8, 7, 5 and 4 cases of armed robberies, respectively. One such incident was recorded in G Division (Essequibo Coast).
The source said that for many years A Division has recorded the highest number of such incidents. “Guyanese from throughout the country travel to the city to do business transactions… it is obvious that the city is the hub and many armed robberies occur in Georgetown. This really adds to the number of cases recorded in A Division because when you really look at it a high percentage of these robberies occur in the city,” the source stated.
In January, there were 20 cases of armed robberies reported by police from around the country followed by 17 cases in February and 13 cases in March. From the beginning of the period to the end there was a gradual decrease in the number of reported cases is seen.
Fatalities, injuries
and booty
Sean Craig, Albert Joseph, and Sanjay Persaud were fatally wounded by gunmen during robberies. Craig was a customer at the Mars Service Station in Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, Berbice on the morning of January 1 when he was fatally wounded by a robber. Joseph, a Linden businessman called “Bolo,” was wounded during a robbery at his business place and home. He died several weeks later.
At about 9.30pm on January 11, Persaud was attacked at Regent Road, Bourda by three men, two of whom were armed with guns. The men stole a gold chain from Persaud and shot him to the abdomen.
On the last day of January, Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD) resident Hansel Alleyne and a taxi driver Horace Cupidore were shot during a robbery. They were attacked by four men. In February Strathspey businessman Ryan Gangaram was attacked by five men, four armed with guns and one with knife, and sustained a stab wound to the chest.
During a $4 million payroll heist at the BEV Fisheries, Houston, EBD, Richie Sahadeo was shot to the leg. Brian Williams was also shot in the leg by robbers who attacked his congregation at the Bethel Church at Castello Housing Scheme, George-town.
Police have been unable to solve any of these cases in which victims were either wounded or killed.
On February 25, two gunmen robbed a Georgetown shopkeeper of her jewellery and $1000. Seeranie Lall was in her car at Agricola Public Road, EBD when she was held up by the gunmen. The incident occurred at about 7.15 pm that day.
However, more than two weeks earlier sales clerk Mathura Narine had a gunshot fired at him by a lone attacker. At the time Narine was outside Narine’s Trading on Regent Road, Bourda, Georgetown, and was carrying a bag containing $700 and a cellular phone. The attacker was caught by a police patrol.
There have also been at least 9 cases where victims were robbed of cash amounting to less than $50,000. All these remain unsolved as well.
However, police have been able to bring charges in one of the biggest hits made by robbers during the first quarter of this year. During daylight hours on March 31 six gunmen terrorised and robbed at least nine employees at the Guyana Stockfeeds Limited, located at Farm, EBD and escaped with more than $10 million cash. Quick action by police led to the arrest of several persons and six accused were subsequently charged with the robbery.
The robbing of three cousins, who had just returned from Trinidad in early March, remains unsolved. Less than an hour after Tazeena Ally, Zoreina Bibi Kadir and Zamal Mohammed arrived, they were attacked by three gunmen and robbed of more than $10 million in cash and jewellery.
