Bail for dangerous criminals is a disservice

Dear Editor,
Following an article published in a section of the media on Monday, titled, “Top Cop feels short-changed by some court decisions on gun crimes”, I must state that all of the points raised by the Acting Commissioner of Police, David Ramnarine, as it relates to the court granting bail to serious criminals is a disservice to the Guyana Police Force and to the people of our country.
I do believe that the decision to grant bail to certain criminals makes life very difficult for police officers. It is known that in the courts, the magistrates and judges have discretionary powers. This is not conducive to law and order as criminals have a tendency of escaping the jurisdiction while on bail.
The Chancellor of the Judiciary, working in tandem with the Attorney General and the Ministry of Public Security, needs to create a parameter for bail.
It is noted that granting of bail to these vicious drug lords, as in the case with Dataram, is creating a serious dilemma for law and order, and particularly the Guyana Police Force. Armed robbers involved with conspiracy and major thefts, go on bail and disguise themselves differently to perpetuate the same kinds of criminality or escape their jurisdiction. Some are even known to switch their ‘modus operandi.’
I wish to use the opportunity to ask that the Guyana Police Force, through the Ministry of Public Security, establish a wanted persons website and Facebook page for dangerous criminals. It should be announced in the media, that such persons charged for various serious crimes have applied for and has been granted bail. The public should be given notice to object as to why bail should be granted to certain individuals. They may send in their objections via email and state the reasons, or post their objections to the Facebook page or website or hand-deliver to the department that manages these cases.
It is my opinion also that the website and Facebook along with advertisements for bandits who have escaped our jurisdiction, should be placed in the media in certain places in Suriname and Brazil, where most of our criminals seem to gravitate towards.
We have seen that the seizure of passports is useless, as passports can be obtained illegally and fraudulently adjusted.
I am also recommending that an enhanced network of community support be established. In this case, security guards, maybe through GAPSO or the non-GAPSO members, and even watchmen, could be linked in a network as police support. They can be used to filter information to certain dedicated personalities in the various regions as to criminal activities that are being planned or that is taking place or was done in the past.
The people of Guyana must understand that the GPF can only function to the maximum capacity with the cooperation of the citizens of the country.
The undersigned is a police mentalist.
I will always support law and order and the Guyana Police Force in its legal responsibility to protect the citizens of this country and apprehend the criminals with the view to put them behind bars until such time that they cannot be useful in crime again.
I personally believe in hard labour, in which criminals who are sentenced for certain vicious crimes, are made to serve hard labour to pay for their security, medicine, meals and miscellaneous charges for whatever else they may need for their upkeep.
I believe this is something that needs to be looked at. The view is that they cannot sponge their way in jail at the expense of the tax payers.
Further, for persons involved in criminal activities, a major search should be carried out in their lives to identify what properties they own and the monies in the bank, so that the state can cease their assets to pay for their upkeep, most of which they might have earned through illegal activities.
It is time for a serious look at crime and punishment in Guyana.
I believe in maximum sentences for criminality, especially crimes such as armed robbery, fraud, murder, attempted murder, drug dealing, etc, which leaves a serious impact on the lives of our citizens on a daily basis and which corrupt morals, especially of our youths.

Sincerely,
Roshan Khan
CEO/Founder/Chairman
RK’s Security Services