Murders peaked by 11.10% in 2025 – GPF

Jan 10, 2026 News

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(Kaieteur News) – Murders in 2025 have peaked by 11.10% in 2025, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) announced on Friday. In a statement, the police force said that the significant increase is reflected in the comparison of data for the 2024 to 2025 period.

One hundred and seventeen murders were recorded in 2024 while 130 were recorded in 2025.

In contrast, serious crimes across Police Divisions One to 10 declined from 1,235 cases in 2024 to 920 in 2025, representing a 25.5 per cent reduction.

The GPF stated, “The data reflects notable decreases in several major offence categories, including robbery, burglary, break and enter and larceny, rape, and kidnapping, indicating positive trends in crime reduction efforts across the country.”

All categories of robbery showed sharp declines. Simple robbery fell by 61.5 per cent, while armed robbery decreased by approximately 29 per cent. Robbery with violence and robbery with aggravation also dropped by more than 30 per cent and 29 per cent respectively.

Property crimes followed a similar pattern. Burglary declined by 70.1 per cent, break and enter and larceny fell by 28.6 per cent, and larceny from the person decreased by 39.5 per cent. Reported rape cases declined by 12.6 per cent, while kidnapping fell from one case in 2024 to zero in 2025.

Overall, excluding murder, serious crimes declined significantly, contributing to the 25.5 per cent reduction in total reported offences for the year.

During the launch of the GPF’s Christmas Policing Plan last November, Crime Chief, Deputy Commissioner Wendell Blanhum revealed that serious crimes had declined by 25.1 per cent between January and November 2025, but murders had increased by 13.9 per cent over the same period.

Blanhum disclosed that between January 1 and November 9, 2025, there were 115 murders, compared with 101 during the same period in 2024.

Murder statistics for 2025 show that 81 per cent of victims were male, while 19 per cent were female. Over the past five years, “disorderly murders”, those arising from fights, arguments, or disputes that escalate, remained the most common category.

Domestic murders doubled, increasing from 13 cases in 2024 to 26 in 2025, while a smaller percentage were committed execution-style or during the course of robberies.

Geographically, 21 per cent of murders occurred in Georgetown, followed by the East Bank of Demerara (11 per cent) and the East Coast of Demerara (10 per cent). Regions Two and Five recorded the lowest figures at 2 per cent and 3 per cent respectively.

Meanwhile, in 2024, Guyana recorded a 14.4 per cent reduction in serious crimes. Then Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn said during his end-of-year press conference that 1,235 serious crimes, including murders, were reported compared to 1,406 in 2023.

The 117 murders recorded in 2024 reflected a 25.9 per cent decrease, which Benn attributed to strategic crime-fighting interventions and the implementation of targeted crime-reduction programmes.

Despite the statistical improvements in other crime areas, 2025 was marked by several tragic murders.

In February, 27-year-old Kenesha Vaughn was allegedly shot 12 times by her husband, Marlan Da Silva, during an argument at their Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara home. That same month, Shameeza Mohamed was brutally beaten by her son-in-law, Parsuram Arjune, and later succumbed to her injuries.

April saw five women lose their lives. Mezona Ronaldo was allegedly set on fire by her partner, Kevin Cadogan, and later died from her injuries. In another incident, Maline La Cruz, her sister Sueann La Cruz, and their mother Waveney La Cruz were shot and killed by Maline’s ex-partner, Parmanand Ramdehol, at their home in Waiakabra Village, along the Soesdyke–Linden Highway. That same month, 30-year-old Marissa Beete was shot by her ex-boyfriend, Ghalee Khan.

In July, 16-year-old Reyna DePeazer was fatally struck by a stray bullet at Mango Lane, East Ruimveldt, Georgetown. Police said the teen was sitting on a motorcycle with a friend when an argument erupted between two men nearby, during which one opened fire. A bullet struck DePeazer in the neck, and she later died at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.

In October, 24-year-old Faynel Brewster was shot dead by two motorcycle bandits who were attempting to rob her brother outside their West Ruimveldt home. That same month, 49-year-old Balram Bessessar allegedly chopped his 15-year-old stepson, Sudesh Singh, to death following a dispute over a bicycle at their Stewartville home.

In December, Cuban national Ariel Betancourt Ramírez was stabbed to death during a robbery at Middle Road, La Penitence, Georgetown, after two men on bicycles reportedly attempted to relieve him of his valuables.

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• Ariel Betancourt Ramírez, Kenesha Juman Vaughn, murders, Reyna DePeazer, Sueann LaCruz

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