Police must crack down on praedial larceny

Sep 09, 2020 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

Praedial larceny, or theft of produce, is a serious crime affecting agricultural development and it could lead to physical violence or ‘taking the law in your own hands’. Praedial larceny discourages farmers from planting since they are unable to harvest that which they plant whether it is coconuts, pumpkin, ochro, squash, baigan, bora, or other crops. Farmers are entitled to that which they cultivate. Government must take measures to end farm theft or else farmers will not grow foods and the country will experience a serious shortage of fruits and vegetables. When I was a child growing up, I remember bandits stealing our cattle by the dozens and moving them from Corentyne to West Berbice. Cattle of others were also stolen. The police did nothing about it even when the bandits were identified. When ranchers went to West Berbice to recover their cattle, they were beaten. The police refused to accompany them to recover their animals. They had to assume the losses discouraging raising animals. Cattle theft is still a big problem in Guyana.
Similarly, praedial larceny has been a persistent problem going back for decades. It was also a source of communal tensions since the 1950s. But the White man used to deal seriously with criminals who stole produce from farms easing tensions. In his study on communal relations, the eminent Sri Lankan anthropologist, Chan Jayawardena, highlighted cases where White magistrates imposed heavy fines, prison terms, and lashes on criminals to deter praedial larceny. In one particular case, a harvester told the judge that he did not know the rice crop he harvested from a farmer belonged to him. He said he saw the crop ready and thought it grew by itself and belonged to the public. So he “cut the rice”. Rice don’t grow by itself. I grew up in a rice community. Rice needs tender care and hard work. The judge ‘cut’ his behind with fines, six months jail and lashes. I don’t think he ever ‘tief’ again or mistook private property for public property.
Because crops are on the ground and are not being harvested or picked up does not give anyone the authority ‘to harvest’ them. Plant your own crops on your own land! The police need to strictly enforce the law as happened during colonial rule. This would help to ease communal tensions.
Separately, I must condemn the gruesome killing of the two youngsters. No matter what the kids did, they should not have been savagely murdered. Who would commit such an act? Police must pursue the right suspects. We need an expedited investigation. I support the call by Nigel Hughes for a quick forensic investigation. Justice must be served.

Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News