Down by 14%, over 800 serious crimes committed in 2024

Throughout 2024, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has recorded a 14 percent decrease in serious crimes with a total of 820 reports of serious crimes being made.

Serious crimes include offenses such as murders, robberies, rape, break and enter and larceny and larceny from a person.

“The Guyana Police Force has recorded a 14 percent reduction in relation to serious crimes in 2024 as against the previous year.

“This in itself is significant,” Minister of Home Affairs disclosed on Monday.

Benn made the revelation while speaking at the Ministry’s end-of-year press conference held at the Arthur Chung Conference Center, Liliendaal.

Out of the crimes reported and identified for prosecution, Benn said a clear-up rate of 51 percent was recorded.

“We believe that more could be done and would have been done but we have to pay attention to the environment in which we operate, the culture that make up that environment and particularly too the social and economic issues that relate to our people in terms of making each other safe, creating a more peaceful society and importantly respecting each other,” Benn explained.

He credited the successes to the strategic initiatives implemented which include establishment of five command centers across the country.

This has aid in evidence gathering and identification of criminals.

“So the safe city programme has moved on to what we called a safe country programme and for the most popular areas, it has moved out to regions 3,5,6.

“And we expect with the record of events….that we will have a better and faster response and information which will allow us to follow up on criminal activities which occur in the streets,” Benn noted

Also, he said focus is being placed on improvement of forensic capability which is a fundamental aspect in crime fighting.

However, Benn noted that it had been recognized that there is fear in communities.

So, he said more has to be done to ensure that the Force is “more approachable” and are “welcoming” to citizens.

To this end, Benn said ranks are being continuously trained while police stations across the country are being enhanced and built.