Enough is enough

Aug 20, 2015 Editorial

The primary focus of the people in the past week has been on the budget debate while armed robberies and murders continue to rise. Every day, someone is being robbed, beaten, stabbed or shot, and there seems to be no end in sight.
The prevailing high level of crime has traumatized and emotionally scarred the nation. It has not only made people afraid to walk the streets, but it has put a lot of pressure on the police, who the criminals in most cases have and continue to stay one step ahead of.
In the first seven months of the year, gun-related violence has been responsible for close to 100 deaths of which almost one-third were women. Such lawlessness will undoubtedly paint a negative picture on our society. We reiterate: there is desperate need for a comprehensive security plan. It is urgently needed to stem the crime wave which can be deemed out of control. Enough is enough.
The tragic end to the lives of so many hard-working and law-abiding citizens should not be glossed over as just another set of statistics in the prevailing context of criminality and death in Guyana. Not only are these victims adding to the murder statistics, but it is another manifestation of an unruly society which has become a major challenge to law enforcement.
The people are losing confidence in those in authority and need answers. What is being done to put an end to this lawlessness? How much longer will it continue?
The recent spike in murders has some senior officials in the Police Force wringing their hands in anguish, a number of citizens deluding themselves into believing that it will end soon, while a few, with votes on their minds and power on their horizons, seeking to score cheap political points.
If the demoralizing effect of people living in constant fear of armed bandits and murderers is bad enough by itself; the negative impact of violent crime on the economy at the individual, community and national levels is even worse.
What are the causes of such wanton criminality? The blame has been placed at the doorsteps of the drug trade, high levels of unemployment and a sense of nihilism among youths, the education system, get-rich-quick mentality, a breakdown in family values, no respect for the rule of law, foreign influences, deported nationals, depressed communities, a disconnect between law enforcement and society, and a host of other causes.
However, we have witnessed in recent times, persons who were on the wrong side of the law coming from solid family backgrounds with better-than-average educational achievement. Information from the social agencies, the media etc., have revealed that many individuals who came from deprived backgrounds or poor communities with minimal academic achievement were not necessarily tempted into criminal behaviour.
With that said, there is the general belief that the structure of the educational system is to some extent designed to discourage young minds into anti-social behaviour because it is so heavily biased towards academia. This often leads to frustration, early disenchantment, dropouts and a search for a “friendlier” atmosphere in the criminal world and away from the derision of the school setting that can be harsh for those considered not too bright and are ridiculed.
Reducing crime is no easy task. Crime of course will never be eradicated, and there will always be spikes of lawless behaviour, but the effort to address these at the root must never wane. The authorities haven’t failed in the past to wrestle criminality to the ground. This is another challenge. They must succeed in capturing and bringing the criminals to justice. We insist that enough is enough.

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