26 road users killed in first quarter of 2017; Police saw 43% decrease in murder

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) is reporting 26 fatalities for the first quarter of 2017. This is a decrease from 2016 which saw 29 fatalities in the first three months of the year.

The police stated that serious, minor and damage accidents have been reduced by 23.3%, 36% and 37% respectively.

Of the 26 persons who lost their lives, seven were drivers; six were pedestrians, five pedal cyclists, four motor cyclists and four occupants of the vehicles in which they were travelling.

Private cars accounted for most of the vehicles involved, standing at 12, while there were four pedal cycles, three minibuses, four motor lorries, four hire cars, one motor pickup and four motor cycles.

The GPF said speeding remains the major cause of accidents accounting for 14 accidents in the first quarter of the year. Other causes were inattentiveness, driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to confirm to road traffic sign and pedestrian crossing in the path of approaching a vehicle.

However, the traffic department has managed to bring a total of 17, 846 persons before the courts.

Persons Charged

Seventeen thousand eight hundred and forty-six ()have been charged so far for this year with traffic violations as follows:

Speeding- 4469

Breach of condition of road service licence/music-1134

Driving under the influence of alcohol-870

Using cell phone while driving -616

Breach of traffic light signal-489

Tinted motor vehicles-448

Unlicensed drivers -183

Fail to wear seatbelt-602

Dangerous driving-172

Careless driving-186

Fail to wear safety helmet-184

Overloaded minibus-375

Obstruction-201

Fail to confirm to sign-489

Crossing double yellow line-33

Other offences totalling -7,095

Meanwhile, the police force is reporting a 3% decrease in serious crimes at the end of March, relative to the same period last year.

There was a 43% decrease in murder, a 7% increase in robberies where no instruments were used, a 9% increase in robbery under arms where firearms were used, a 12% increase in robbery under arms where other instruments were used by the perpetrators, a 48% increase in robbery with violence, a 30% increase in robbery with aggravation, ; a 9% increase in larceny from person, a 14% increase in rape, a 2% increase in burglary and an 18% decrease in break and entering and larceny.

37 unlicensed firearms were seized, compared with sixteen (16) for the corresponding period last year. Of those, 18 were pistols, four revolvers, seven shotguns and eight rifles.

The force believes that the reduction of serious crimes though not significant, coupled with a large amount of illegal weapons seized and the number of persons arrested and charged with indictable offences, are positive indicators that it is gaining the public’s trust and support in the fight against crime.