Latest update April 23rd, 2024 12:59 AM
Sep 20, 2016 Editorial, Features / Columnists
Recently, some of the events occurring in the country have embarrassed the government. With the current scandals coupled with the carnage on the roads, the gruesome murders and a spate of armed robberies, it is the belief of some that the country is in crisis and has reached the point of no return.
Many are experiencing tragedy and life-altering trauma.
The population is alarmed at the persistent violence against women, children and the elderly. Many youths are jobless. As a result, they are lured into gangs and crime in order to survive. Today, youths face greater uncertainty. Many have dropped out of school or are left behind as a result of a broken education system that does not cater to their needs.
After 50 years of independence, a large section of the population no longer feels safe in their homes, at school, at work and on the streets. There is gross consternation in the country. Almost everywhere in the country, people are scared of being robbed or killed by criminals. This fear which has pervaded society is now embedded in the psyche of the people and has stirred immense concern for the direction the country seems to be heading.
The nation is at a crossroad and it is urgently necessary for the people to tell the political directorate that they have had enough. They want to live in a society in which the law is upheld. Indeed the Ministry of Public Security has increased the size of the police force. It has embraced enhanced training of the ranks, and the government has provided equipment that gives the force some sophistication.
Millions of dollars have been voted for vehicles that have increased patrols and have given the police the power and ability to respond in unprecedented ways to reports of crime. Such has been the police response that on many occasions criminals are being caught in the act.
Yet people are terrified by the senseless violence and brutal murders. They are depressed by this scourge that is plaguing society. And a depressed people cannot function normally in society.
If the nation is to achieve the progress that its forefathers and other pioneers of development have forecast for the country, those in authority cannot mark time or be in a state of oblivion. They must urgently address the pain and suffering of the nation. They should act collectively to over-come the protracted neglect and tribulations that are being manifested by the gruesome murders and violence which is directly or indirectly affecting everyone in society. No one is safe.
The authority has not been known to make excuses or continue to be in denial of the hardships, pain and suffering being experienced by people from all walks of life. The plight of the people is not taken lightly by the authority. The authority sympathizes with the thousands of people who are reeling from the fear of crime and violence that are ravaging society.
But there is more to be done, particularly from the position of the people. At one time the police had lost contact with the people to the extent that there was non-cooperation. People knew who the criminals were but refused to communicate with the police.
The police themselves performed in a manner that lacked confidence. Many held to the view that once they provided information to the police the latter would duly inform the criminal or the people against whom the report was made.
That is changing. There is the community aspect of the police relationship; there is the relationship between the police and the religious organizations; and there are the work study programmes that expose young people to life in the Guyana Police Force.
Things can only get better but we note that as one aspect of policing is bearing fruit another seems to be collapsing. In this case the traffic situation is worsening.
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