Crime stats not manufactured – Ramjattan

Dec 01, 2016 News

Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan

Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan is refuting claims by some that the crime statistics being reported by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) are not reflective of the current crime situation.

Addressing the media yesterday, at the Ministry of Public Security, Brickdam, Minister Ramjattan said that “those nay-sayers who are giving the impression that we are manufacturing the statistics, that is not true, and this administration, and this Ministry and all those involved in law enforcement are not going to do that…it is just that we are doing a better job of it (catching criminals) now… some people do not like that,” the Minister said.

Minister Ramjattan said that the police have been able to apprehend more criminals because of better relations between the police and the public, resulting in more reporting of crime.

“People are speaking, coming forward, giving their statements,” the Minister said.

Further, Ramjattan noted that the police ranks are now better trained as he referenced the more than 300 officers who have benefitted from regional and international training since the administration took office in May 2015.

The Minister said that, “all of these things help in reinforcing a renewed confidence in our law enforcement and our community, and that is why we could get the crimes solved in Berbice, that is why we can get piracy down to almost zero”.

The Public Security Minister also said that the solving these crimes is having a deterring effect as well on the criminals, “and that is why crime is down … we want people to become more right thinking, rationale, to accept it and not to just believe that we are manufacturing statistics,” the Minister said.

Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum, who was also present, reiterated his earlier statements to the press that the GPF is recording a reduction in crime.

He explained that the serious crime statistics do not only take into consideration gun robberies and murder, which are the two areas that are frequently published by the media.

“We have 11 categories of serious crime, and our most prevalent offence is breaking and enter and larceny and we have 1,200 on a yearly basis that are reported and recorded, and this year we had a significant dent in breaking and entering figures, which would have a significant impact on our overall figures,” he said.

In fact, Blanhum said, in every one of the 11 categories of serious crime, the force has been able to record a reduction.