Serious crime up, road fatality down in Reg 5 – Police

Police Division Five (Mahaica-Berbice) has recorded a 37 per cent increase in serious crime for the year thus far when compared to the previous year. In addition, there was also a 20 per cent reduction in road accidents and a 50 per cent reduction in road fatalities.
This is according to Divisional Commander Senior Superintendent Kurleigh Simon during an episode of the “Police and You” programme.
He related that the increase in serious crimes is attributed to the large amount of rape reports received.

“Surprisingly we have a 37 per cent increase in crime, but there is a catch to that. Comparatively, when you look at the stats for last year and this year, like I said, we’re at a 37 per cent increase, the thing about it is that we’re seeing an increase in statutory rape or rape per se,” the Commander related.
He noted that if the rape figures are to be taken out of the equation, the region’s crime rate would go down since the region is below its figures in sensational crimes such as robberies as compared to the previous year.
“When there were three [in Region Five] reported for last year, we’re now at nine. If we are to take away those rape figures, out of the nine rapes, we have seven that are statutory rapes…if we take away that seven, our crime figures should be something like minus 5-10 per cent,” he said.
The Commander noted that they are working on taking the increasing number of statutory rapes down, but the Commander thinks that the matter calls for more parental control.
“We have had several public engagements. We had a public discourse with [the] Child Care Protection Agency, the welfare officer of Region Five, along with some religious organisations. We had in excess of 120 parents and children gathered there. Even as of yesterday we had a representative from the DPP office, along with the school welfare officer, visited several schools in the region. So, we have been doing things, but I think it calls for more parental control, some more social control coming out of the communities [themselves],” the Commander said. When asked if the COVID-19 lockdown was a contributing factor to the rise in statutory rape, Simon said that it is unclear, but comparisons are to be made since schools have been reopened.
Meanwhile, there has been a 20 per cent reduction in roadway accidents and a 50 per cent reduction in fatal accidents for the first quarter of 2022 as compared to 2021.