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Start looking at your personal security – No one is there to help!

Oct 23, 2023 Letters

Dear Editor,

Kaieteur News – Nothing new. A statement of despair and defeat. Imagine if one were to unpack the following:

“With the busy Christmas season just around the corner, Commander of Division 4A (Georgetown), Assistant Commissioner Simon McBean is calling on all Guyanese to keep aware of their surroundings and strengthen their personal security.”

He elaborated that, “I want to start putting it into people’s minds to assist us into policing yourselves. Start looking at your personal security, ensure your homes are properly secured, ensure when you’re going out, you’re conscious of your environment and add that extra layer of security for yourself.”

In other words, Guyana does not have a police force. In fact, Prescott Mann’s Oct 16 letter, “Desperation,” quoted Freddie Kissoon’s “The population’s disrespect for the police is at the lowest in the country’s history (Jun 22, 2011).”

Here we go: “I (Freddie Kissoon) lived under the reign of the PNC from the domination of President Burnham to the attempts at democratic resuscitation under President Desmond Hoyte. At no time since Independence has the citizens’ lack of confidence in and their supportive attitude for the police been as low as it is today.”

I also ask: “Who was ruling?” “Who was responsible?”

Freddie went on: “Even in the period of breakdown between 1981 to the death of Mr. Burnham in August 1985, has the contempt and disdain for the police by the citizenry ever become as dismal as to what it is now.”

I repeat my questions for today: “Who is ruling?” “Who is responsible?” As a matter of fact, with more investment in GPF’s personnel, machinery, vehicles and intelligence, things have gotten very worse.

Editor, readers, GPF and the PPP/C, read how crime in Guyana is ‘just another day in the office,’ and is ‘business as usual.’

Bandit killed; businessman injured during home invasion-News Room Guyana-Jul 27, 2022;

Two men gunned down in Linden home invasion-Stabroek News-May 14, 2023;

Known criminal stabbed to death during alleged home-Guyana Times-Jun 7, 2023;

US-based Guyanese robbed during home-invasion one-INews Guyana-Jul 31, 2023;

Motorcyclist gunned down at Ogle-October 16, 2023-Guyana Times;

Police working to dismantle ‘heavy market’ for stolen cell phones – 4A Commander-Guyana Times-October 20, 2023;

The list can be added to daily, once or twice, but to top it off, I remind Guyanese of the incident, one of many rogue-cop stories, “Cop under close arrest after air gun, ammo found in car,” October 15, 2023-Guyana Times.

To Mr. McBean and the PPP/C, I say ‘failure.’

Guyanese are very vulnerable at home and on the streets. Imagine, getting ‘picked’ on the road and being consoled with ‘you should have known better.’ The pervasive thought in the Guyanese psyche is ‘look-out’ you can be robbed or have your home invaded.

Examine how Guyanese live in their own country: Extra-equipping their homes with iron bars that are impediments to a fire escape; paying someone to watch their  vehicles when parking, especially in Georgetown; and not having too much money or jewellery on their persons when going out.  What a life!

Editor, I will not comment on police response time. My experience, and that of many, is that unless you know a top cop, or can ‘pay’ one of them, no GPF operative will come ASAP to interrupt a home invasion, or  curb noise nuisance, no matter the source.

What I am advising is that Guyanese who have a chance of leaving Guyana legally and permanently, that they make that their priority. Get out and go where you can walk free, park your vehicles legally and safely, and live in homes where there are no fences.

Add to these motivators the reality of working for a mere 75,000 Guyanese dollar. This approximates to 493.60 Canadian Dollar or $358.17 United States Dollars.

Yours truly,
Gaylord Riley

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