…urges persons to take precautions against robbery
Commander of Region Four A Division, Assistant Commissioner Simon Mc Bean, is pleading with persons to make the opportunity for crime difficult, but also admitting that indeed there are not enough Police ranks manning the streets of the city.
Commander of Region Four A, Assistant Police Commissioner Simon Mc Bean
He made the call while being a guest on the Guyana Police Force’s weekly radio programme “Police and You”, and was responding to a question posed by Public Relations Officer of the Guyana Police Force Stan Gouveia.
Gouveia had asked the Commander if he would agree to the fact that enough Police presence was not on the roads in Georgetown, and he agreed.
“For Georgetown, being our main city, yes, I will agree with you that there are not enough Police on the road. That is a plan in progress… from January to now, we have increased our presence on the road, and there are plans afoot to further increase our presence in Georgetown, because we realise that for us to tackle the fear of crime, we have to have more presence”, the Commander said.
Mc Bean said it is his division’s aim to give persons assurance that the Police are there, but it is the responsibility of every individual, even with Police presence, to adopt several methods to protect their lives and properties while in the city.
“You have to make that opportunity as difficult as possible for the criminals… that is what persons need to ensure, that this does not happen,” he said.
Based on a recent analysis that was conducted by the division, it was found that the major item that is being stolen during robberies in Georgetown are cellphones. The Commander said this is made possible by persons who use their phones in public.
“A phone might not seem as something serious, but an average cellphone is $50 to about $200,000… it is an easy opportunity because most persons would have their cellphone out in their hands. That is a target. As we move around, we need to be sensitive to our surroundings”, the Commander explained.
Bank transactions/ jewellery
The commander also advised that persons be careful when doing bank transactions and carrying around jewellery, since that can greatly increase their opportunity of being robbed.
Following several reports from individuals about the Police being implicated in some of these robberies and criminal activities, the Commander said there are some truths to this, and it is being dealt with.
“Yes, there are cases where it is so, but we take the necessary actions…but sometimes there is a case where it is a mere allegation,” he said.
In terms of dealing with future crime-related activities in the city, the Commander said plans are afoot to sectorise Georgetown.
“We plan to sectorise it in 17 sectors, and based on our analysis, those sectors will be monitored… it is a work in progress. It will be managed by motorcycle, vehicle, and foot patrol as required. If we can be able to achieve that goal, we will be able to deal with crime in Georgetown”, he said.
