Hold your bags tightly during Christmas shopping – Crime Chief

Ahead of a hectic Christmas season, the Guyana Police Force (GPF), through its Crime Chief Lyndon Alves, has sent a resounding message to shoppers in Georgetown to hold onto their bags tightly.

The Crime Chief issued his advisory at the GPF’s annual Police Presentation held earlier this week. According to him, women who will be shopping in Georgetown for Christmas should not carry a bag that makes them a target.
A bag that dangles from the shoulder can be easily yanked off a person’s shoulder, he said. He advised that bags be carried close to the body and well tucked in.
The already prepped Police Force listed a number of other safety tips to be taken into consideration during the festive season for extra protection, although the Force has planned rigorous patrols and other methods to reduce crime in Georgetown.
Alves said the use of liquid cash should be minimised while credit cards should be used more frequently.
“Large sums of cash should be moved under security escort,” he noted, as many a times persons would complain of being robbed while moving huge amounts of money.
For persons in the business realm, the Force has called for checks to be made to Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) systems to ensure they are properly working. In fact, the Force is encouraging that Digital Video Recorder (DVRs) be properly secured to preserve valuable information.
Advice was also issued for the visiting population, while in the capital city. “The advice from the Guyana Police Force to visitors are carry your wallet in an inside jacket or inside trousers pocket. Avoid rear pockets. Keep purses on your lap when dining out. Not dangling over the back of a chair,” he pointed out.
At the same event, the GPF announced plans to heighten security for Christmas. A Division (Georgetown-East Bank Demerara) Commander Marlon Chapman noted, “We want to ensure that the citizens and other persons who will be in the Division for the season be as safe as possible in doing transactions even (if it’s) just a visit or whatever.”
According to Chapman, Police patrols and outposts around the city will be boosted in a bid to ensure a secure shopping environment.
He revealed that part of the efforts to ensure increased safety is the splitting of Georgetown into seven sub-sections as compared to six last year.
These sub-sections run from Agricola, Greater Georgetown to Georgetown.
The areas will be equipped with mobile outposts and frequent patrols will occur, with senior members of the GPF in charge of each sub-sector.