Crime fighting requires citizens’ co-operation

May 10, 2009 Letters

Dear Editor,
The 2002-2003 upsurge in crime left many citizens traumatized and distressed.
For this reason, persons appealed for the establishment of a strategic and comprehensive security plan to tackle crime.

Government responded and treated crime as top priority and embarked to enhance existing crime fighting methods to ensure that national security prevails.
The 2002-2003 crime wave sparked an increase of armed robberies, disappearances, kidnappings, prison escapes, death squads, arson, drug gangs, etc, which destabilised and hindered our peaceful society.
Development requires political and economic freedom, peaceful relations with other states and the respect for human dignity.

Anything that compromises these aspects of society, or narrows the range of policy choices available to the Government is deemed a threat to national security.
For this reason, Government thought it was necessary to establish a Security Sector Reform Action Plan which encompassed the review of existing crime legislations, the enhancement of intelligence gathering, analysis and dissemination, the improvement of the Criminal Investigation Department and Forensic Capability, and to train police on modern crime fighting methods and techniques.

The holistic crime fighting strategy set out to strengthen policy making across the security sector so as to encourage transparency, effectiveness and coordination, creating substantial parliamentary and other oversight of the security sector and to boost public participation in crime fighting.
However, the most intense crime fighting mechanisms will falter without the cooperation of the ordinary citizens.

Even though the police, courts, etc, may try to control crime, we must realise that their scope for further crime reduction is limited.
We have a legal duty to assist law enforcement officers, so that they can perform their duties effectively.
The Police are tasked to act whenever they are called upon, to ensure the safety and security of the people.
And so, it is essential to note that Government requires the full support of its people to work on the implementation of these plans so as to ensure there is national security in Guyana.
Marissa Lowden