Rape up by 16%, robbery under arms down by 57% in Berbice – Police

There has been a 16 per cent increase in instances of rape in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) over the first nine months of the year when compared with the corresponding period last year.
Regional Commander, Senior Superintendent Shivpersaud Bacchus pointed out that there were 31 reports of rape in the region so far this year. This is compared with 25 reports for the corresponding period last year and 21 cases for the corresponding period in 2021.
However, robbery under arms has shown a considerable reduction by 57 per cent when compared with the corresponding period last year.

Currently, the figure for Region Six stands at 12 instances for the year. For the corresponding period last year, the figure was 28 and 18 when compared with the corresponding period in 2021.
Over all there is a 10.9 per cent reduction in serious crime in the region, Bacchus explained.
He provided figures indicating that the region recorded a total of 147 instances of serious crimes as against 165 for the corresponding period last year and 198 for the corresponding period in 2021.
These serious crimes were murders, robberies, larceny from the person, rape, burglary, break and enter, and larceny and kidnapping, which remain at zero over the three years under review.
Murders have shown a 15 per cent increase over 2022, figures for the corresponding period. Currently, it stands at 15 for the year when compared with 13 for the corresponding period in 2022, and 9 for the same period in 2021.
Of the 15 persons who were murdered so far this year, the Police have been able to place the perpetrators for 13 of them before the courts.
Commander Bacchus pointed out that the Rose Hall Town double murder which occurred in August is still unsolved.
“It is still an active investigation,” he said.
On August 23, the bodies of 31-year-old Melissa Arokium and her son, 8-year-old Anthony Arokium were discovered separately at their Lot 189 Mangrove Street, Rose Hall Town home.
Police are still hunting the killer of killers.
Meanwhile, the Commander pointed out that 40 of the serious crimes were committed on Fridays, 38 on Saturdays, and 30 on Sundays. Of the serious crimes committed in the region for the year to date, only five were committed on Wednesdays.
“What we found happening is that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are the three days where we have an increase compared to Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with Wednesday being the least,” Bacchus pointed out.
He added that most of the serious crimes are committed between 05:00h and 08:30h.
Seventy-one per cent of the robberies with the use of firearms, and the use of cutlasses have also been prevalent in the committing of robberies in the region.
As it relates to instances of rape, he noted most of the reported rapes are committed on Tuesdays.
Meanwhile, most of the serious crimes were committed in the Number 69 Village area, where 12 per cent were committed. Eleven per cent were committed in the Rose Hall Town area and 10 per cent were committed in the Corriverton area.
Black Bush Polder accounted for four per cent and six per cent in the Angoy’s Avenue area.
During robberies, about half of the time when they are committed, cash and cellular phones are stolen. Motor cars, electric bicycles, and jewellery are also items of choice for robbery, the Commander said, based on data collected for the year so far.
Forty-one per cent of robberies were conducted on homes and 36 per cent on business places, 12 per cent were committed on Government buildings.
Meanwhile, the Police have been able to remove 14 fire illegal firearms from the streets. This figure is compared with 9 for the corresponding period last year and 11 for 2021.
So far this year, only two persons have been placed before the courts for being in possession of an illegal firearm.
According to Bacchus, this is so because a large percentage of the firearms found were discovered on marijuana farms during rides and where no one was found on the farm. $1.7 billion worth of illegal drugs have been intercepted or destroyed so far this year. (G4)