My fellow Guyanese drivers, be careful

Aug 13, 2020 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

I return to the real world to warn my fellow Guyanese of a menace that has been out there for a while now, but which has surfaced with worrying frequency. It involves deliberate ‘accidents’ and what follows in the immediate aftermath.
A couple of friends shared their stories, which are more akin to ordeals. The stories go like this in a pattern that is repeated. They are driving along minding their own business, staying in their lane, and observing the traffic rules. There is a bump from behind; nothing jarring or life threatening, just a bit of a hard bump. It is intentional and the beginnings of a carefully orchestrated ploy.
The first objective is to get the unwary driver to stop and come out of his or her vehicle. Then the perpetrators, usually more than one and armed, would rush out of their own vehicles and pounce. The second objective is to rob of possessions, which I will come back to in a moment. And the third objective is to relieve of the car itself. It is usually a sedan, like the ones used by taxi services, or private drivers. The cars are then rapidly removed to some remote location, where they are either stripped of radios or all the way down for spares. It is fast and nasty and could sometimes get violent if there is resistance by victims; or depending on the state of mind of the robbers. This normally occurs at night, but the daytime is not off-limits. The bottom line is that this can be extremely dangerous and costly, and even the most alert vehicle operators and street savvy drivers have become victims.
The recommendations are do not stop, find the nearest police station; and if push comes to shove, with no other options, do not resist. A close friend tried evasive tactics and ended up slightly injuring himself and totalling his vehicle. This is an honest, hardworking citizen, who could ill-afford the loss. But there is another aspect to what I term these hit-and-run (and grab) crimes. It is revealing of the sophistication that is brought to bear by streetwise criminals bent on sowing uncertainty and fear, while wreaking havoc with their predations. It goes like this.
The first link in the chain are those who I would call spotters. They frequent banks and observe commercial places, such as jewellry establishments and companies that offer high-value products, such as engines and bikes and the rest. The spotters, who are regularly clean cut and well-groomed are interchangeable to avoid suspicion and detection. It is all innocent looking and follows the outlines of legitimate everyday behaviour. As an example, it may be the well-dressed, patient, device-focused young man or woman waiting in a bank or business place for customer service attention. That is part of the façade, for there is keenness in watching (without seeming to) who is doing what, and especially as such relates to cash transactions, and what is handed in exchange across the counter. It might be jewels or minerals or expensive items, or something along those lines. It could be something bulky, like an engine, with the key being timing. That is, the bandits striking before the cash changes hands. This would come from trailing and attacking between two points, which may be from bank (or cambio) to business location or residence.
Nobody, no victim, can finger authoritatively the spotters and observers. This is because as soon as they pass on their information (description of clothing and features), they are gone, as in out of the picture totally. Depending on the take, their share could be as much as a cool six figures for an hour’s work. It certainly beats the grind of minimum wage and places perps outside the ranks of the known unemployed and persons of interest.
On the other hand, there are the victims normally out of cash and car, and as should be expected the confidence to resume regular daily activity. There is loss, there is trauma, and there is anger at the state of things and, worse yet, the seeming ineffectiveness of restraints and cautionary steps taken.
I trust that all users of the road would be safe and secure in their limb and property. And remember: don’t stop. And if that is unavoidable, then do not resist. Like I said, there is the real world of Guyana that exists outside of the politics, and it may be just as bad.

Sincerely,
GHK Lall

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