The Guyana Police Force yesterday said that up to the end of December last year, there was a 16% decrease in serious crime compared with the statistics for the previous year, including a 6% decrease in reports of murders.
A total of 140 murders were recorded during last year, compared with 149 in the previous year, the force said in a statement. It noted that there was a 64% clear up rate, indicating that over half of the murders were solved.
Of the 140 murders recorded last year, 12 were executions, 26 were robbery-related, 20 were domestic-related, 54 were disorderly and 28 were undetermined, the statement said.
Of the 149 murders in 2015, 9 were execution-style, 24 robbery-related, 17 domestic-related, 64 disorderly, 33 were undetermined and two of another nature, it added.
According to the force, there was a 7% decrease in gun-related robberies, with a 16% clear up rate, compared to the same period in 2015. A 19% decrease in armed robberies where instruments other than firearms were used by the perpetrators was also recorded, a 19% decrease in robberies with violence and a 7% decrease in robbery with aggravation.
As it relates to robberies where no guns or other instruments were used, there was a decrease by 9% with a 7% clear up rate, the force said.
The force has also recorded a 27% decrease in larceny from the person, with a 25% clear up rate; a 21% decrease in rape with a 34% clear up rate; a 15% decrease in burglary with a 17% clear up rate; and a 19% decrease in break and enter and larceny with a 20% clear up rate.
Police also said that during last year, a total of 109 illegal firearms were taken off the streets compared to 115 in the previous year.
Traffic
Meanwhile, a 10.3% increase in fatal accidents was reported for 2016, with a total of 128 fatalities recorded at the end of December compared to 126 in 2015.
The highest categories of road users killed were pedestrians, with the figure at 38, while the highest category of vehicles involved in such accidents were private cars, with the figure pegged at 78.
The police figures also revealed that serious and minor accidents had decreased by 9% and 3%, respectively, but damage accidents increased by 15%. As enforcement of traffic laws continues, the police said special emphasis is being placed on driving under the influence of alcohol, speeding and use of cellular phones while driving.
During 2016, the police said that a total of 70, 609 persons were charged with various traffic offences. The majority, that is, 26,266, was charged with speeding.
Another 4,665 persons were charged with breach of the conditions of road service licence/music, 3,317 were charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, 1,623 with using a cellphone while driving, 1,627 for breach of traffic light signal, 1,435 for tinted motor vehicles, 1,701 for being unlicensed drivers, 2,806 for failure to wear seatbelts, 1,440 for dangerous driving, 1,496 for careless driving, and 1,317 for failure to wear safety helmets, among other offences.
