Latest update November 8th, 2024 1:00 AM
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Berbice replacing G/town as country’s murder capital
The county of Berbice seems to be heading towards becoming the murder capital of Guyana, while the actual capital city of Georgetown is seemingly the safest place to be.
A perusal of the police crime statistics reveal that Berbice alone accounted for 11 of the 25 murders that occurred in the country up to the end of February. Add the murder of Indrawattie Somwar which occurred earlier this month at Corriverton and it’s easy to see why Berbice is holding the unenviable title of murder capital.
Compare this with Georgetown and its environs (‘A’ Division), which had no murder up to February month end. This figure was only marred recently with the murder of Cuban National Joel Perez Laffita last week and Monday’s discovery of the body of re-migrant Soesdyke farmer Anthony Breedy.
Last year around the same period under review, ‘A’ division was leading in the number of murders, which included two executions and two committed during robberies.
This year, of the 12 murders in Berbice, eight were committed during robberies, making the county one of the most violent areas in the country.
With the exception of domestic and robbery, all other categories of murders have declined so far.
The East Coast and West Coast Demerara Divisions are joint second with five murders apiece so far, while the Interior accounts for three. Linden only had one up to February 29.
Commander of the police ‘A’ Division Clifton Hicken attributed the low murder rate in and around the city to the heightened posture of his ranks. This is in keeping with the highly effective “Operation Dragnet”, which was launched late last year.
He spoke of improved community relations and an open-door policy in dealing with members of the public.
“Whenever people have a problem with the police and they come to me, they are leaving my office satisfied,” the Commander told this newspaper in an invited comment.
He said that while ranks on patrol are focused on interacting freely with the public, they remain unyielding to the task of maintaining a lid on crime.
Additionally, the Division is utilizing crime analysis from the Divisional Information Management System to target crime hotspots, an initiative that is increasingly bearing fruit.
As at Friday last, ‘A’ Division boasted a 19% drop in serious crimes.
Meanwhile, it is hoped that recent changes in the command structure in Berbice will see a turnaround in the crime prevention and crime-fighting situation there.
Recently-promoted Assistant Commissioner of Police Ian Amsterdam, who was Second in Command to Hicken in ‘A’ Division, has been posted to head the Berbice Division.
While ranks in Berbice have managed to crack a criminal gang that was responsible for most of the robbery/murders in the county, there are still a few pockets of criminal elements that are causing a few headaches.
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