| THE POLICE CAN DO BETTER! |
| Sunday, 22 August 2010 | |
|
By Peeping Tom Each day anti-crime ranks of the Guyana Police Force can be seen on patrol, some on motorcycles, some in pickups and others in fancy cars. Each day, many of these patrols can be seen obsessed with stopping motorists to verify their documents. The traffic section is having a great deal of help from these ranks. Who knows, there may come a time when these anti-crime patrols will fully assume the duties of traffic officers. There is obviously nothing wrong with anti-crime ranks stopping motorists and checking the particulars of their documents to see that these comply with the law. Sometimes these checks lead to searches of vehicles and persons which unearth other leads and subsequently lead to arrests. But one can safely assume that the percentage of document checks that leads to the discovery of other criminal conduct is very small indeed. In the spate of a few days we have seen a number of criminal attacks which have involved the use of guns. The pattern of these types of crimes has always been that it has a domino effect until it is brought under control. A foreigner reading about these attacks would believe that Guyana is overflowing with criminals. The reality is that only a small percentage of the population, one may estimate as under 1%, are involved in criminal conduct. The overwhelming majority are law-abiding decent citizens who do not engage in crime. Why therefore should this tiny majority make things so miserable for the rest of the population? Why should such a minuscule number of individuals, relative to the overall population, bring so much fear and terror into the lives of citizens, so much so that the crime level is one of the reasons why so many persons leave these countries, why Guyana has a bad image and why so many who reside here cannot do the things they want because they fear being mugged? This is not right. We are spending billions of dollars each year on the security forces, and better should and can be done to deal with these criminal attacks. Instead of anti-crime ranks giving so much attention to suspected traffic violations, they should be concentrating their full efforts in bringing to justice those who rob, molest, injure and kill our citizens, those who invade our home and make orphans and widows of so many of our citizens. There was a time in Guyana when policemen were more concerned with contraband than with crime. This posed a real problem for law enforcement and eventually, the police realized what this was doing to their overall crime-fighting efforts at a time when kick-down-the-door banditry was dealing mortal blows on the society. The authorities made the necessary adjustments. The government has been pumping massive resources into the crime fight, and they have not been obtaining value for money, even though there has been a relaxation in violent crime. The Commissioner of Police has been doing a good job and there have been other improvements. Lack of material resources or lack of leadership is not a problem. A shift in focus will make a big difference; a few minor adjustments will improve things, as has been proven with the passport office. The long early morning lines outside the immigration office are soon going to disappear as soon as the changes recently made filter through to the public. The anti-crime units on patrol need to focus more on catching criminals. This should be their focus. While it is within their ambit to arrest traffic violators, it would be much better for the performance of the Guyana Police Force if all anti-crime patrols are prohibited from traffic duties, and leave this function exclusively for traffic ranks. If this is done, there will be greater success in arresting the under one per cent of the population that is making life so miserable for citizens and forcing all of us to be living like prisoners in our home and like scared children outside. |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
Our Staff
M.BenschopPublisher
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
A. Reteymyer - Editor in Chief
Sharda Dasrat - Editor
Our Contact Address
USA OFFICE
GUYANA OFFICE
Mission Statement
Foundation Membership Form
Application form for any person applying for membership in The Mark Benschop Foundation.
Please download and print out the membership application form and send completed form to our office nearest to you.
Download Membership form.doc
Don't be left out! Join the Movement of Change for a better Guyana
Do your part to rid Guyana of the racial and backward politics that is slowly taking over the country. Join us in giving hope to the people of Guyana regardless of their ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.Visitors Counter
Online Radio
Latest News
- The Commissioner of Police, Greene raped me
- Remove Miss Guyana Universe from the hands of Odinga Lumumba
- Wikileaks Cable: "Rohee and Greene are linked to drug traffickers"
- Commissioner of Police, Greene should be charged with rape
- Guyana Commissioner of Police broke down in tears over pending rape charge
- Police preparing rape charge against Top Cop, Henry Greene
- Canada intercepts cocaine in Guyana star apples
- Over 3,000 child molestation reports made last year
- Teen accused of raping 7-year-old for court today
- Opposition calls on Government to act decisively to suppress piracy
Contribute to our Website
Anyone wishing to contribute articles or letters to The Guyana Observer News, can email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view itAdvertisement
Are you looking for the best prices in town, Realiable service and door to door pick up and delivery? Then contact Williams Caribbean Shipping today. Mention that you saw this ad on our website and receive a 10% discount!