The revolving prison door and plastic money

Nov 08, 2015 Features / Columnists, My Column

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There are some robberies that make people realize that there are those among us who are bent on making a living the violent way. Last week there were reports of a robbery at Mahaicony. When those things happen I conclude that someone in the district acts as the point guy and contacts his friends in other part of the country.
So there we had this robbery during which the perpetrators not only relieved the business place of its wealth but also the video recorder that would have captured the images. For the latter to happen, someone had to brief the perpetrators.
The robbery was executed, the perpetrators decided to escape but lo and behold, misery was to befall them. The car crashed and one of them was caught.  The others decided to run into the backlands but when a community reacts, it is often difficult for people to escape in a community that they do not know.
To their credit, the police responded. In the Kaieteur News’ newsroom we were fed a constant. We heard that the police were sending in reinforcements. We also heard that the police, with support from the community had surrounded an area in which the people were certain that the bandits were hiding.
I put myself in the position of the bandits and I felt the nervousness. That had to be the longest night. No water to drink and the insects perhaps having some fun on the bodies in the bush. Daylight came and some enterprising resident opted to go for a bar-b-cue. No one wants to be roasted alive, not even the suicidal person who opts for self-immolation. So the bandits came out. Two were shot. The word is that one is blinded at least in one eye and the other may lose his arm.
Indeed, there have been a spate of robberies and I am left to wonder at the number of people who are prepared to live a life of crime. This brings up the situation of the criminal justice system. We are now hearing that a perennial criminal was caught in the mix. This criminal was reportedly wanted for murder and for attempted murder.
He was never held but they say that he was known to the police. There are even reports that he was shot some time back.
My worry is that many of these people are arrested and passed through the courts. They then get bail and return to a life of crime even before the first case is over. I can’t say anyone is to blame because of an offence is bailable then the person should be granted bail. Where I have a problem is with granting this person bail a second time even before the first matter is disposed of.
One argument is that the prisons are full therefore the courts must do something about the overcrowding.  I remember when there was a public call for alternative sentencing. But when all is said and done the society must be protected. And it is here that the commercial banks have a great role to play.
It is common knowledge that Guyana is a cash oriented society. We always feel that if we do not have cash in our pockets then we have no money. But in this day and age when the world is fast moving away from cash and since we are a people who follow developments in the world we should be doing the same.
Some of the commercial banks are trying their utmost to limit the extent of cash spending. For example one bank advertises banking from one’s own home.  They all offer debit and credit cards which are as safe as they can be. We do know that people actually steal the credit cards of others but once the holder can prove that he did not use it his money is safe. And in any case, in Guyana, there are not too many credit card thefts. Besides, the banks actually track how one spends so that when something extraordinary happens the banks would immediately call the holder.
What is certain is that one’s money is protected. Indeed, there are those who try their damnedest to avoid paying taxes so they prefer cash. Even the stores encourage tax dodging but the bottom line is that when the criminal strikes he takes much more than what the tax man would have taken.
I am sure that if the criminals were not certain about cash they would not have attacked the home. I remember going into some of the major stores in the United States and being amazed at how little cash there is in the register. People simply do not carry around a lot of cash. In fact, by habit people pay with their cards.
This is what we should be doing in Guyana. Instead, we see people withdrawing piles of money from a bank. Many lose all and sometimes their lives.
A few business places accept these cards. That is also the case with the major entities such as Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company and Guyana Power and Light. The supermarkets are just as accommodating. One would need a few dollars to buy small items and for the market place but that should be all.
There should be a law that prohibits people from walking around with lots of cash. I noticed that a prominent businessman had a little too much cash floating around and he got charged for money laundering.
Another whom we call the cash jet man was fetching another set of cash and he is in hot water and probably facing jail time. I think it is time for us to learn. Until then, we will always be the target for criminals.

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