As the Christmas season approaches, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) intends to vamp up its efforts to fight the inevitable increase in crime.
This is according to ‘A’ Division Commander Deryck Josiah, who, during his address at the GPF’s Christmas Policing presentation yesterday, stated that ‘A’ Division/Region 4 will be divided into 5 sections to effectively fight crime.
In these 5 sections, there will be an increase in vehicle and foot patrols, an intensification of traffic patrols, the movement of police officers from desks to the streets, and an extension of patrol times to accommodate late Christmas shopping.
Police Analyst Louis Dodson attributes the increase in criminal activity during the Christmas season to the increased level of commercialism associated with the holidays and urged more long-term and sustainable partnerships with the private sector.
Dodson called on the public to help the police force in crime prevention. The public, he stated, must do its part to protect itself through the use of security measures, including the avoidance of wearing excessive jewelry, walking along lonely, unlit streets, and the use of electronic devices in public. Dodson claimed that these activities invite robbers to target citizens and should therefore be avoided. The GPF will also continue to educate the public on other security measures that will help make the lives of Guyanese crime-free.
The GPF also plans to embark on a number of initiatives that will see the minimisation of traffic congestion in the city and its outlying areas. According to Acting Traffic Chief Kevin Adonis, the GPF will be focusing primarily on drunk driving and will be targeting night spots where people become inebriated then go out on the roadways and drive. There will be a zero tolerance approach to speeding, overloading of buses, and noise nuisance by vehicles.
The GPF will similarly be increasing patrols near the airport to control the issue of robberies committed on persons soon after their arrival in the country. The GPF suspects that these robberies are as a result of criminal surveillance at the airport.
A question was raised about the police’s crackdown on the use of explosives often associated with the upcoming holidays. In response, it was pointed out that the GPF began its crackdown on illegal explosions two weeks ago and will continue efforts into the new year.
Adonis outlined some streets that will become no-entry zones to alleviate the issue of traffic congestion including eastward-bound traffic on Robb Street between Alexander Street and Orange Walk and Bourda Street between Regent and North Road. Any further updates, Adonis said, will be given to the public via the media.
