…serious crimes down by 12.6%
Acting Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken has reported that all categories of serious crime are at negative growth for 2023 thus far; expect for murder figures, which have been hiked by 37 per cent.
At the Guyana Police Force’s annual Anniversary Awards Ceremony on Thursday, the Top Cop disclosed that there has been a reduction in serious crimes by 12.6 percent.
“…with the exception of murder; that would have increased by 37 percent, with 85 as against 62 for the period comparatively. All other categories of serious crime are at a negative,” he disclosed.
68 firearms have been seized, representing a 13.3 percent increase in overall confiscation of such weapons.
54 deaths from accidents were recorded in 2022, and this number has increased to 68 in 2023. Consequent to the increasing trend, the Top Cop has said, the GPF plans to address this with a holistic traffic plan to be implemented within the coming month.
“Within the next two to three weeks, you will see a traffic plan rolled out focusing on education, signage along the road, and enforcement…We understand that we have challenges in relation to traffic and road users, but we have a plan that (we) will roll out, which will incorporate other stakeholders; and so the Police will not be working in isolation in that regard,” Hicken has said.
As the GPF rebrands and retools its machinery in keeping with the Strategic Plan 2022-2026, one of the main targets has been to achieve a modernized and contemporary organisation.
The Police Commissioner avouched that the GPF is now in a better position to tackle crime, and stations are equipped to respond to reports, not just for commercial areas, but at the community level.
Recently, 30 vehicles were added to the existing GPF fleet of 47, and Hicken has
underscored, “We are in a position now, the evidence of which is the reduction of crime by 12.6 percent, and the stations are now equipped with the tools to respond to reports and occurrences. We’re not just going to focus on the commercial areas or the corporate hub, but we’re focusing heavily on communities, and following up occurrences made by the average person on a daily basis at stations.”
He added, “I think that is a good move for us, because once we can satisfy those demands, it will encourage more persons to come on board and make reports, understanding that the report will be attended to in a professional way.”
In regard to Government’s rapid infrastructural push, Hicken has said the GPF recognises the importance of meeting the public’s demands by relocating and introducing new stations to cover new areas. Presently, the Housing Ministry’s aggressive housing drive has led to the creation of several new housing schemes, with others already being in the development phase.
“We have to ensure that we strategize and put structures in place to locate Police stations in strategic areas, so that (they) can complement the new communities that are being established. Now that the frontiers are connected, there are going to be more challenges in terms of streets to ply. So, we have to relocate, reposition, and establish new outposts and stations,” he declared. (G12)
