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Harsher punishment for gun crimes

Nov 01, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,
One of the few good things of Desmond Hoyte’s presidency is the way he dealt with the “kick down the door” crime spree of the 1980’s. I remember those days when criminals were on a rampage barging into homes brutalising and robbing its occupants in the most vicious manner, terror gripped the nation then and something had to be done urgently.
Hoyte was equal to the task in coming up with strict and severe punishment for the offenders; these criminals were given speedy trials with the death sentence being the result. The talk of the town then was “Hoyte hang dem high.” This kind of punishment brought an abrupt end to a very beastly form of criminal activity.
We are now in the year 2010 and the newest form of criminality is armed robbery, where individuals arm themselves with big guns and pounce upon unsuspecting citizens to carry out their nefarious activity, the common mode of getaway being hire cars. To date Guyana has recorded some of the most macabre incidents in the present holocaust and there seem to be no let up. The question is, are we going to run away from these criminals? The answer is no, so while we have to live here something has to be done quickly to remedy the situation.
For starters, there need to be a reclassification of the charges as it regards illegal gun possession something in the nature of, ‘possession of a lethal weapon with the expressed intention to kill’ and may I add the sentencing should add up to a very long time in prison.
And for those getaway vehicles I suggest outright confiscation, of course after a speedy trial. The present long drawn out trials ultimately lead to nowhere, either the accused gets little time or no time at all, thus making a mere mockery of the justice system. Let’s not fool ourselves, most of the gun crimes committed today, are done by repeat offenders which tells me that the present system of just punishment is not effective; seems like it serves as an incentive rather than a deterrent.
The long and short of this whole debate is harsher punishment such as longer prison terms, which will separate us from those who are bent on living a life of crime. If we do not institute a proper system we shall continue to sigh and cry as this long night of sorrow prevails.
Neil Adams

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