Commissioner of Police (ag) Nigel Hoppie yesterday reported that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has recorded a decline in murders and road deaths as of the end of June this year, compared to the same period last year.
Hoppie made this announcement during his address at the force’s 182nd anniversary award ceremony which was held at the Police Officer’s Mess, Eve Leary.
For the first time in years, the media was not invited to the event.
In his speech which was released by the GPF’s Corporate Communications Unit, Hoppie said that murders have decreased by 16.7% with 65 reported up to the end of June compared to 78 for the said period last year.
Seven of these victims, Hoppie said were women, six of whom were killed in domestic-related incidents.
As it relates to robbery under arms, Hoppie added that there has been a 36.3% decrease.
However, he noted that while there has been an overall decrease in serious crimes from January to June this year, there has been a 70% increase in rape.
As of the end of the June, Hoppie said there were 90 reports of rape, compared to 153 for the same period last year.
Hoppie highlighted a number of the force’s crime fighting successes. Among these were the murder cases of West Coast Berbice (WCB) teenagers, Joel and Isaiah Henry and Haresh Singh, Answar Stoll and taxi driver Kenrick Trim.
According to Hoppie, a criminal group which was responsible for robbing customers leaving gold establishments was also dismantled and the suspects, who allegedly set the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) office on fire in Linden were also apprehended and charged.
Further, the Top Cop said for the year so far, 34 illegal firearms were recovered by the police. This comprised 17 pistols, 8 revolvers and 9 shotguns.
“The threats of illegal narcotics, domestic violence and trafficking in persons continue to plague the society and every effort will be maintained as we work assiduously to reduce these threats to society,” Hoppie said.
Traffic
Hoppie also disclosed that there has been a 32% decrease in fatal accidents and 30% drop in fatalities as of July 10 this year.
For the year so far, he said there have been 48 fatal accidents compared to 71 for the same period last year. For fatalities, he said there have been 52 this year, compared to 74 last year.
In addition, he noted that throughout the country, traffic enforcement for this year so far has resulted in 719 cases for speeding, 459 cases for driving under the influence and 10,188 for being an unlicensed driver.
Pedestrians and motorcyclists, Hoppie said are the major categories of road users, who have lost their lives with the major contributing causes being speeding and inattentiveness.
“Pedestrians (17) and motor cyclists (12) have been the major categories of road users who have lost their lives on the roadways this year with inattentiveness (21 fatal accidents) and speeding (18 fatal accidents) being the main causes,” Hoppie stated.
