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Govt. uneasy with levels of crime, violence in Guyana – Nandlall
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C.
Kaieteur News – The Attorney General Anil Nandlall on Tuesday during his weekly episode of Issues in the News said that the ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) are constantly being trained but the Government of Guyana is uncomfortable with the levels of crime and violence seen in the country.
“We are constantly training our police officers, to make them better qualified and better suited to deal with crime and criminality in the country. More forensic approaches to investigations are being pursued,” Nandlall told listeners of his facebook show.
He further stated that, “the Government is not comfortable with the level of crime and violence in the society and that is no secret. We have repeatedly accepted that fact and we are assiduously working to address the situation.” Nandlall highlighted that there is a number of pieces of legislation that the government will be passing “but legislations are not, the singular remedy that can comprehensively and successfully address this problem. We have to have a multi-faceted approach, so we will take to the parliament shortly a bill that will increase penalties for different categories of offences.”
Traffic offences he said will be attracting a higher penalty since in Guyana there continues to be an unacceptable rate of road fatalities and the government has been passing a menu of statutory provisions intended to address this matter. “We have introduced the offense of motor manslaughter, we have introduced a regime of disqualifications of driver’s license, we have introduced a regime that addresses drunken driving, driving in a comprehensive way,” the AG explained.
The AG further stated that the government has introduced a regime of statutory provisions to address the question of selling of intoxicating liquor to drivers and persons suspected to be drivers. “Only at the last sitting of the Parliament we have introduced a camera system by way of legislation, so that cameras are going to be located along the way at strategic points of our major roadways, and will video record transactions related to speeding and failure to wear seatbelts.”
There will also be amendments to address penalties under the Road Traffic Act and public awareness on how to use the roadways.
Similarly in relation to offences involving violence, robbery, breaking and entering, burglary and robbery underarms, Nandlall said the penalty provisions are being reviewed. He said the forensic laboratory has been equipped with “a skill set of highly qualified personnel that who have been recruited from overseas. “We have now modern equipment and we are acquiring more to equip the lab as we move into forensic examination,” the AG boasted.
The Alliance For Change (AFC) earlier this week called on citizens to take to the streets demanding betterment from the government and the police in the fight against crime. The party said too that the country needs a moral reckoning and that citizens do not deserve to die suddenly and violently by bullets. The AFC’s statement was made against the background of the killing of Jairam Ramkishun, 69 of Westminster Housing Scheme West Bank Demerara who was shot and killed on Sunday when bandits invaded his home.
The AFC said it believes that budgetary allocations for a better security for all Guyana must be structured to target especially this increase in gun crimes. “Devoting additional resources to curb gun violence and murders is affordable by any budgetary standard, especially if compared to the costs of the loss of lives and limbs, the medical costs, the criminal justice costs, lost earnings, the reduced quality of life and so many consequential costs of the violence. But there must be funds allocated specifically for this purpose: reduction of shooting and killing.”
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