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DISPOSING OF HUMAN LIVES

Feb 12, 2017 Editorial, Features / Columnists

The brutal murders of a Domestic Worker and mother of four, and a phone card vendor, himself a father of four, on the same day, on the Corentyne, have sent shock waves throughout the ancient county.
There was a time in Guyana when a single murder would rock the nation to its core, but not anymore. At the turn of the century a spate of murders nearly precipitated a state of emergency in the country. The year 2017 began with a crime spike that is worrying not only because of the senseless taking of human lives, but also because of how this kind of violence which is spiraling out of control seems to be regarded as the norm.
Gun violence has become so rampant in the country that some seem to be regarding the occurrence of the two murders as nothing to be concerned about. Crimes of this nature only remind the people that they are not safe. And while there are claims that brutal crimes are on the decline, the reality of many Guyanese conveys a different impression. The authorities must deal condignly with criminals. They should particularly be concerned with the brazen nature of the two murders on the Corentyne. It seems that the murderers are demons in human form whose motives range from robbery to pure malice.
The possibility of a never-ending wave of violence is on everyone’s mind. The people want less talk and more action. They want results, but the government alone cannot solve crime. It would be more productive if the Government and the Opposition come together to find solutions to reduce crime. They should put aside partisan politics and take a serious approach to find appropriate solutions. They must develop a plan of action with emphasis on outcomes, not saber-rattling. Such intervention by the government and opposition is needed to remove the menace from society. However, the opposition has repeatedly declined offers from the government to help solve crime.
On the other hand, the government needs to do a better job to regulate guns. It seems that weapons are freely available to the criminals. The state must use its security apparatus effectively to gather information and devise plans to frustrate the criminals. Surveillance alone is not enough, more deterrence is required.Television is also a useful medium in crime-fighting. However, it must not be used to inadvertently glamorize crime or undermine confidence in the police. The people need confidence now more than ever.
The fact that crime is not reducing shows that the punishment is woefully inadequate. More needs to be done to empower the police to solve crimes and successfully prosecute the perpetrators in court. The government must act to protect the citizens from the vicious criminals who continue to prey on the innocent almost daily.
However, this is not to take away from the genuine achievements of the police who continue to arrest many of the perpetrators soon after the crimes are committed. But this is of little comfort to the family and friends of those who have been murdered by criminals. Citizens must help the police to fight crime. Which is why the police must do a better job of earning their trust. It will send a message to the criminals.
As a society, the people must ask those in authority some hard questions. While many would like to dismiss the criminal impulses of a few as an abnormality, there are prevalent factors that feed them. The truth is, the criminals grew up in the same easy-going and friendly society like everyone else. The government has to find ways to identify and in a timely fashion find solutions to the risk-factors and the predispositions to violent criminality. Violence is derived from learned behaviour, poverty, and in some cases from the inequality in society. It is not instilled in people from birth.It is a culture that is now shockingly developed into the disposing of human lives.

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