Several citizens have stated that the current crime situation in the country has them feeling uneasy and are therefore calling on the Guyana Police Force to increase their patrols.
News Room took the streets of Georgetown where persons expressed their views on various issues affecting them and despite the Guyana Police Force reporting a decrease in criminal activities, the citizens’ main concern was the prevalence of criminal activities across the country.
One taxi driver who works at any hour of the day or night around Georgetown shares his experiences of the many times he became too fearful to continue his journey.
“Crime, Crime got to really stop. I does work night and sometime day and the crime really high. Driving down backland to do a pickup and hear gunshots, I go fo drive out back suh the crime, I need if they could get it down. People must be free fo walk and do wuh they got to do” he told News Room.
A pensioner who feels that her age does not protect her from the many cases of murder, rape or robberies said “oh God I am very much afraid of that…As you pick up the paper, you see so many persons die. Well that thing get me sick.”
One man expressed his view that the creation of jobs will aid the problem. He said “I think the crime situation needs to ease down, I think there needs to be some employment and when they get employment they gonna work and things gonna be better. I think the crime could stop but the youth them need some job and if the government create some job; that will be good.”
A fish Vendor who resides at Montrose on the East Coast of Demerara says she is very fearful of walking on the public roads, noting that ““Crime increasing more because yuh can’t walk pon the road, I does gah wake up early every marning fo go pan the wharf and it nah safe but I gah fo go buy ma fish fo sell. Yuh got plenty lil bais all pan the road, passing wid bicycle so you don’t be safe sometimes, yuh ah come with fear marning time.”
Another vendor is urging persons to be careful since “since, you spin and you turn is a robbery, you gah know how yuh walk with yuh money and everything, chain and thing, up to yesterday robbery go on, right on Robb Street deh.”
“We scared to sell night time in the market because bandit running the market whole night and dem rabbing yuh. Only yesterday marning, they rab somebody at North Road” one vendor said. She added that “the people don’t come and shop in the night too because the people dem scared of wah going on.”
There are other citizens that are calling on the government to implement stiffer penalties for criminals to deter them from committing crimes.
“The crime in this country, the government gat to come back with something sturdy. If you nah want bring back the hanging, bring back the lashes nah because think about dem lil children that getting rape, some gaffi do man” one woman said.
It was also noted that persons charged with gun-related offences should not be granted bail; a position supported by the Assistant Commissioner of Police and the Minister of Public Security.
There is a call for increased police presence and more visibility. Citizens also want to see active police patrols in and around the city.
