Offer a one-month conditional amnesty to criminals

Sep 03, 2015 Letters

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Dear Editor,
The Public Security Ministry has declared a month-long Gun Amnesty Programme to pull in illegal firearms with the hope of reducing the surge of gun related crime.
Hard-core criminals are expected to walk in to a police station and simply hand over their tools of the trade, or risk being “prosecuted in accordance with the laws when the one-month amnesty is up.” It is ludicrous for anyone to believe this will ever happen. As it is, most persons caught with illegal firearms are already “prosecuted in accordance with the laws”, except those who are connected enough to be represented by a well known criminal defence lawyer. So nothing is new here. This programme as advertised, is visionless and will bear no fruit.
The fact that there is a big demand for illegal weapons in the criminal underground, is enough reason to believe that criminals will either hide the guns they now have in their possession until they are ready to commit another crime, or simply dump them in a trench if their identity is compromised. There is no incentive for anyone to comply with this scheme.
Here’s why: for this programme to succeed, the Public Security Minister needs to adopt a “Carrot and Stick” approach, and offer monetary incentives for criminals to risk exposure.
An amount of $20,000 can be offered for every functional gun turned in, and $10,000 for every defective gun, because a defective weapon can be used very effectively in the act of committing a crime.
When a victim stares down the barrel of a gun, there is no way to determine whether or not the gun actually works.
The private sector can be persuaded to get involved by sponsoring some of the money, because the more guns that are taken off the streets, the safer it will be for businesses to operate.
But at the end of the amnesty, law enforcement must launch an aggressive campaign to recover illegal firearms, and prosecute the criminals to the full extent of the law. During this period, police officers should be offered the same incentive if, through their own initiative and good police work, they apprehend someone with an illegal firearm.
Police officers who put their personal safety on the line to get these weapons out of the hands of criminals, deserve to be recognized and justly rewarded to encourage others to do the same, especially now that the 20% salary increase they were promised, turned out to be just another campaign lie.
Another innovative suggestion that is likely to take dangerous criminals off the street and behind bars where they belong, requires some vision and the courage by the Public Security Minister to implement.
We’re all aware that there are several unsolved murders in Guyana. While some may remain that way, I am confident that the Guyana Police have reasonable suspicion of who may have committed the majority of those crimes, and are working vigorously to get the evidence necessary to secure an arrest and conviction.
Many are wanted for questioning by the police, and they are aware that their freedom will soon come to an end. But until then, they will continue their criminal activities, robbing and killing their victims until they’re caught because they see no way out of the predicament they’re in.
While some career criminals will never change, I believe most would if given a chance to turn their lives around. So here is a challenge for the Honourable Khemraj Ramjattan, Minister of Public Security.
Offer a one-month conditional amnesty to criminals wanted by the police for crimes committed such as murder; aggravated assault; armed robbery and rape. Publish their names and photographs in the press and offer them leniency.
After turning themselves in for trial, the police will follow through on their promise and offer a substantial reduction in sentence to those who surrender. But this must go along with mandatory counseling and training geared at rehabilitation, which will help to re-establish the prisoners back into society; giving them hope, a new skill, and the opportunity for a new life.
Upon their release, the prisoners would be placed on supervised probation with electronic monitoring for three to five years.
If probation is violated, they would be arrested to complete the full term of their sentence.
Here is the logic behind this: To put it simply, the bad boys would be taken off the streets, resulting in a reduction in murders and other brutal crimes, making communities much safer.
Why some people commit crimes regardless of the consequences while others never commit a crime, no matter how desperate their circumstances, is an ongoing study by criminologists the world over.
Some of the reasons a person is likely to commit a crime include greed, desperation, anger, jealously,revenge, or the need to make fast money. Some even consider a life of crime better than a regular job-believing crime brings in greater rewards, power and excitement-at least until they are caught.
But when things go wrong, as they so often do, and an innocent person gets killed, a much higher premium is placed on the capture of the killer, and he is hunted by the police.
If he is caught, he knows he is likely to spend the rest of his life behind bars. So he evades the police to win his freedom as long as he can, committing crimes along the way to survive with little or no respect for another human life. But if given an opportunity to wipe his slate clean after spending less time in prison, to return to live a normal life with his family in freedom, and is given the skills to rehabilitate and find employment, I feel sure that most criminals on the run would choose this option. Give them hope.
As a crime prevention policy, the Guyana Police must interact more with the public. Police Officers should conduct yearly lectures at schools in all vulnerable communities, targeting both children and parents.
Discuss the need to rise above poverty and avoid a career of crime through education; the dangers of using drugs, alcohol and cigarettes; and challenge the parents to be good citizens, to set the right examples for their kids to follow, and to create an environment conducive to producing the next generation of leaders.
HARRY GILL, MP.

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