IN SEARCH OF NEW CRIME-FIGHTING TECHNIQUES

Aug 28, 2015 Editorial

It is both shocking and disturbing to know that almost every day someone is being killed or robbed at gunpoint in the country. Crime is an unwelcome and unnecessary evil to society and it is time for the government to aggressively address such lawlessness, which continues to essentially hold the nation hostage.
So while the recent announcement by the Minister of Public Security to grant a gun amnesty, it will not likely be enough to lessen criminality.
The government has stated that the granting of amnesty is one of many strategies that will be employed to fight crime and reduce the high level of violence in the country. But could the voluntary handing over of illegal weapons stem this crime wave? Will it work?
Crime fighting is a difficult task and there is not a single strategy or plan that can be utilized to reduce it. It did not start overnight and it will not end suddenly, but the least the people expect is for the government to act swiftly to reduce it and protect them.
With that said, it is the responsibility of the government to constantly (every day if possible), inform the public about its strategies/plans to reduce crime and halt the flow of illegal weapons. It would be a lame excuse for the government to say it has only been in office for three months and need more time. The criminals certainly flourish where there is uncertainty.
The strategies devised at a recent high level meeting to assess and find solutions to the alarming crime rate seem not to be working because murders and armed and aggravated robberies at residences and businesses have increased and there appears to be no end in sight. The situation is dismal and the powers that be should give this issue the serious attention it deserves. Lives are at stake!
The fight against crime does not begin with arrest and conviction but with prevention, and there are too many factors involved for it to be solved by the Police alone. For one reason, as the law enforcement institution, the Guyana Police Force has exposed its weakness in the many unsolved murders and armed robberies. For another, the SWAT Unit and the U.S. DEA by themselves cannot solve crime which is now part of the nation’s culture. For a third reason, studies have shown that violent criminal attitudes are the result of a weakened social fabric in the home, depressed communities, high unemployment among youths, the widening poverty gap between the ‘haves’ and the envied ‘have-nots’ and unprofessional lawmen.
Truth be told, there are too many guns in the hands of reckless youths and gang members who have no regard for life. It is the responsibility of everyone to protect each other since we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. Every citizen must take a stand against crime to protect not only their lives, but those of their families, friends and neighbours. They cannot encourage or harbour the criminals, or allow the hoodlums to wreak havoc on the country and desecrate their communities. And while it is the hope of many that the 14 percent hike in crime will rise no further; it can only decline when rock-solid crime fighting techniques are put in place by the government, which should include the use of the army, as was the case during the infamous 2002-2006 crime wave period. That is good governance.
With crime on the rise, it is crucial for the Minister of Public Security and by extension the relatively new government to craft new and better crime- fighting methods and techniques to curb this scourge. Time is running, the people are unhappy, and the fear of being robbed or murdered continues to affect the nation’s psyche.

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