By Ryhaan Shah
The local US Embassy issued a travel advisory on January 10 last to American citizens in Guyana to exercise increased caution due to crime. “Violent crime,” the advisory states, “such as armed robbery and murder is common. Local Police lack the resources to respond effectively to serious criminal incidents.”
Among the precautions advised are: to be extra vigilant when visiting banks or ATMs; to avoid walking or driving at night; to avoid displays of wealth such as wearing jewellery or expensive watches; and to not resist any robbery attempt – all good advice for us locals as well.
No one, including the US, is reassured by the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) year-end statistics that boasted serious crime, among others, was down. What we all do is put faces to the faceless numbers and remember that 87-year-old Constance Fraser, known as “Mother Fraser”, and her 75-year-old niece Phyllis Caesar were brutally murdered last October during a burglary at their city home. This is Guyana today.
Carjackings last year were up from 2016 to nearly one per week but it took a child being brutally shoved from a hijacked vehicle for the Police to step up and issue a statement that they would be taking a multi-departmental approach to this particular crime. Immediately, the carjackings stopped. Was a coded message given and received?
There is undoubtedly a ready market for stolen vehicles, cellphones and jewellery. In a country with a small population, it is unacceptable that the Police appear to have no information – especially in a place where everybody minds everybody else’s business – on the whereabouts of traders in stolen property.
They have to be either grossly incompetent, shamefully obtuse or are themselves a major part of Guyana’s criminal enterprise. Most believe it is the latter, especially since most of the bandits are going about unmasked. This does suggest that they feel very sure they will not be caught by the Police.
Rogue elements dismissed from the GPF appear to be the tip of a giant iceberg given the number of times that crimes are reportedly committed by ex-Cops, or serving Police, or Army personnel like the Guyana Defence Force soldier Jamal Hazel who was remanded for his alleged involvement in a recent $5,000,000 hold-up.
These bring the armed forces’ recruitment procedures into question since it appears that would-be bandits are entering the forces to gain tactical knowledge and training in weaponry, not in order to serve and protect, but to use in criminal activities.
Public trust in the Police is so low that many crimes go unreported. Many feel it’s a waste of time. One such unreported incident was recounted by an acquaintance who shared her recent horror story. It has valuable lessons for everyone using the roadways.
She was stopped at a traffic light and was the last car in the line. She was alone, and her windows were wound up. A well-dressed young man tapped at her driver’s window. Since he was insistent she cracked the window to hear what he was trying to say. As soon as she did that, he pushed the window down and grabbed her gold bangle and ring. She drove her car up onto the sidewalk to try and escape and damaged the side of her car.
When driving, keep your windows up and your doors locked. Do not open them for anyone. If your vehicle is bumped from the back – a trick used to stop your vehicle – and you are on a lonely stretch of road, do not stop or exit your vehicle. Turn on your hazard lights, blow your horn to attract attention, and speed away until you get to a populated area. Try and escape also if a motorcycle rides up ahead of you and tries to stop your vehicle.
Because Guyana is a cash-based economy, the vulnerability to robberies is obvious. Blaming the victim is never useful but everyone does need to be extra vigilant when withdrawing cash from banks.
Guyana is what it is, and no one is safe. Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan has issued no useful policy directives to the Police to combat the high crime rate. With thousands of sugar workers out of work, Guyana’s economy is set to shrink even more this year. This will result in even higher unemployment and more crime.
With a Police Force perceived as being part of the problem, it is up to every citizen to take precautions. The best option we all have is to try and protect ourselves by being alert and aware of our surroundings at all times.
