THE PRIVATE SECTOR MUST BE PREPARED TO INVEST IN SECURITY EQUIPMENT

Nov 19, 2010 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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The people of Chateau Margot are still in shock following the killing of a popular businessman in the area. Many are distraught that a hardworking man could have been cut down by bandits who were attempting to deprive him of what he had worked so hard to attain over the years.
This is something that is a real sore point in our society. There are honest, hardworking individuals who make the sacrifice to ensure that they attain some decent standard of living. They build a business from scratch, in the hope that it would provide for themselves and children. But while they are reaping the benefits of the hard work and sacrifice, there are bandits counting these benefits and plotting how to get hold of them.
The bandits are out to deprive citizens of their wealth. They obviously have no intention of making an honest living. They are bullies. They wait until you have gotten some wealth and then they simply try to take it by force.
The businessman who was killed in Chateau Margot a few days ago probably had enough of that bullying attitude. He decided that he would simply not be deprived of what he had worked for and decided to defend his worth and his family. In doing so he met his death.
There are many who will say that he probably should not have resisted. Perhaps he should not have. But it is not easy for anyone to watch others take away what you have worked honestly all your life for. The businessman decided that enough was enough and courageously decided to confront the bandits.
Other innocent persons were also shot during the incident and this shows the callous disregard that bandits have for other people’s lives. There can be no sympathy for people who are not bothered by the harm they cause to their victims.
These attacks will continue, because the bandits know that they are operating with a high possibility of success. They are now targeting outlying areas and this presents a real problem for the security services since as is well known, the security services are stretched, and because of the fact that large sections of the coastline are thinly populated, what is going to happen is that it is always going to be difficult to effectively police these areas.
As such, it is for the central authorities to take the necessary action to reduce the risk of crime. Ironically, the very persons who are likely to be affected by crime will be the first ones to cry foul if the authorities move to take drastic action to allow for more effective policing by limiting the sprawl of commercial areas.
If, for example, there was one central area in Chateau Margot where all the business, including parlours and supermarkets were located, it would have been easier for it to be policed. But today, in almost every street in every village along the coast, you can find a business premises. And this makes it very difficult for the police to do their work.
The police need support, and the private sector entities should come together and work out a plan to support the police so as to avoid their members having to meet their end in the tragic way that the businessman from Chateau Margot did this past week.
What is needed is the creation of exclusive business zones within villages. This does not mean that existing businesses should be closed. Those who have established their business should not have to close down, because that would mean losses. However, new businesses should not be allowed to be opened in designated residential areas and those in these areas should develop security plans in collaboration with their community policing groups and the Guyana Police Force.
It is also clear that greater use should be made of technology. A great deal of the resources of the Guyana Police Force is being spent on having to patrol a large area. Some of these resources can be dedicated to other use if, for example, the business community in the towns develop their own video surveillance apparatus to man entire commercial districts. There is no reason why the business community – whose operations are bounded by Water Street, Church Street, Vlissengen Road and Brickdam – cannot come together and install high resolution video surveillance cameras inside and outside of their buildings so as to capture everything that moves twenty-four hours a day. This would deter crime and make it easier for the police, thus allowing them to concentrate in outlying areas where the criminals now seem to be moving with impunity.
It is time for the cat-and-mouse game between the police and the criminals to be brought to an end. Through technology, the police can attain an advantage in the fight against crime. But for this to happen, the private sector will have to make sacrifices and be prepared to invest more in their security.

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