“Ramp up your campaign against crime” – GCCI urges Police

One day after the Guyana Police Force (GPF) released crime statistics claiming that serious crime was on the decline, the business community issued a statement expressing concern over the escalating rate of crime in the country.
The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) called on the relevant authorities to urgently address this issue, which it said was directly impacting the welfare of citizens and enterprises.
The GCCI on Thursday contended that there seemed to be an increasing rate of criminal activities against the business community.

According to the GCCI, this has created an atmosphere of fear among the populace.
“The perpetuation of these violent crimes is of great concern to the members of the Chamber as it directly impacts the welfare of the citizens and enterprises of the country,” the business umbrella organisation said.
Against this backdrop, the business umbrella organisation called on the relevant authorities to take stern action against criminal elements and ramp up its campaign against crime.
The Chamber said it continued to remain willing to assist in any way possible and continued to view itself as a partner in development and nation-building. This call from the business community comes on the heels of the GPF stating that serious crime has decreased by 29.8 per cent for the year thus far.
In particular, the Police said there has been a 38.4 per cent decrease in armed robberies where firearms were used by the perpetrators and a 47.7 per cent decrease in armed robberies where other instruments were used.
Nevertheless, the Police Force said it has begun targeting motorcycle and bicycle bandits.
The Force added that extensive campaigns were ongoing in the Police Divisions, to rein in and detain motorcycle and bicycle riders and arrest persons where applicable.
Such campaigns were conducted in several communities around Georgetown and on the West Bank of Demerara.
The GPF assured the general public that it continued to aggressively pursue crime-fighting strategies in order to maintain its mandate of public safety and security.

But the Police assurance comes even as more persons are being robbed by motorcycle bandits. Only on Wednesday evening, a 22-year-old delivery man was shot to his jaw as bandits robbed him of his motorcycle.
Shot and hospitalised is Navin Mahabal, who is in critical condition.
On Monday, Derick Doodnauth, an employee of Health International Inc, was hauled from his motor car by an armed gunman and his three accomplices who arrived on two motorcycles at Lying Street, Charlestown, Georgetown.
At the time, Doodnauth was driving slowly as traffic built up in the street. Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) footage showed that the bandit pulled the driver out of the car and pushed him down on the road while one of his accomplices reached into the car and grabbed an envelope with over $1 million, along with cheques, that was in the backseat of the vehicle. The men then hopped onto the motorcycles and made good their escape. (G9)