Latest update February 4th, 2025 9:06 AM
2008 sees steep hike in murders, armed robberies – Crime Chief
Crime Chief Seelall Persaud
Crime Chief Seelall Persaud has acknowledged that criminal gangs have been causing headaches for the police force, sending the murder rate up by 36 percent so far this year when compared with the same period last year.
However, the security forces have been able to dismantle at least two of the major gangs within the past four months, a reassuring sign for security in the country, according to the Assistant Commissioner.
“They contribute to a very high level of violence and fear within the society,” the Crime Chief said.
To date there have been 139 reported murders as against 99 for the corresponding period last year.
When one takes into account the massacre of 13 persons at Bartica and eight miners at Lindo Creek, it is easy to conclude that the police interior divisions (‘E’&‘F’) accounted for the most murders so far this year with a whopping 37, followed by ‘A’ Division with 35 and ‘C’ Division, the scene of the Lusignan horror, accounting for 28 murders. There were 18 murders in Berbice and 14 on the West Demerara.
According to figures released by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), there were 40 execution style murders so far this year, 10 robbery murders, 21 domestic killings and 40 disorderly murders.
There was also a 20 percent increase in the number of robberies, with armed robberies in which firearms were used amounting to 700 compared with 580 last year. While the year started with a low number of robberies, it peaked in March with 97.
Street robberies showed a steep increase, while there was a decrease in robberies committed in homes as well as piracy.
The robbery figure was also high in May, June, July and August changing the trend of a steady decline in the previous two months. So far this year the police have also recovered 126 illegal firearms, four down from last year.
These included 38 revolvers; 39 pistols; 36 shotguns; and 12 rifles, two of which were recovered from the dead bandits Rondell ‘Fine Man’ Rawlins and Jermaine ‘Skinny’ Charles. One of these rifles belonged to the GDF.
According to Crime Chief Persaud, the existence of gangs is one of the areas that put a significant demand on the police force with regards to controlling crime.
“We see gangs that commit robberies and we see gangs that commit drug trafficking and firearms trafficking,” the Crime Chief said.
Persaud said that the Buxton/Agricola gang may have been responsible for a significant number of the high profile robberies.
There are also gangs targeting bank customers and businesses that store large amounts of cash in safes on their premises. In addition, the police have identified groups operating on the waterways as pirates.
“We have also experienced cases where employees of businesses use their knowledge to organise theft on that business.
We have seen men who work everyday, conventionally earning their living, get involved because somebody throws out an idea. They get involved in robberies and other crimes,” the Crime Chief explained.
He outlined several strategies being employed by the force to deal with the phenomenon. These include training, information intelligence, anti-crime, intelligence-led operations, investigations, collaboration, motivation, youth programmes, such as the one that encompasses the Rosemary Lane (Tiger Bay) area and developing public trust.
“We have a standard operating procedure for responding to crime in progress. The GuySuCo payroll heist is one of those opportunities that really produced good results,” Seelall said.
He pointed out that large cash transactions represent the highest single motivator for robberies and urged private security services to adopt a minimum standard for the transporting of large amounts of cash.
“I know that there are efforts being made by the private sector in the main to change the way transactions are being done, but this is something cultural and it will take time,” Persaud noted.
He said that with regards to escorts, security companies should refrain from “putting everything in one place” as was the case with the recent GuySuCo fiasco.
“There must be some arrangement for somebody to respond there and then. Both the company hiring the security services and the security services must develop some minimum standard,” the Crime Chief advised.
Sexual assault also showed a slight but steady increase.
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