Serious crimes decreased by 17.8 per cent in 2023 – Crime Chief

Due to the Guyana Police Force’s revamped and proactive policing strategies, the agency has recorded a 17.8 per cent decrease in serious crimes from January 1 to November 2023, when compared to the same period in 2022.

This was disclosed by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law Enforcement) Wendell Blanhum on Wednesday at the Police Officers’ Mess at Eve Leary, as he clarified that this does not mean that crimes were not committed during the period.

According to the Crime Chief, about 1,149 offences relating to serious crimes were recorded, compared to 1,329 in 2022. This translates to 248 fewer crimes being recorded for the year.

Statistics illustrate that robbery offences recorded a 15 per cent decrease; robbery under arms saw a 23 per cent decrease; robbery with violence 33 per cent; larceny from the person decreased by 33 per cent while an 11.6 per cent decrease was recorded for rape offences for the year.

Moreover, the most prevalent offence which is break and enter and larceny recorded a 15 per cent decrease, while there were no recorded offences of kidnapping in Guyana for the year.

Serious crimes were most prevalent in Regional Division 4A (Georgetown) and the deputy commissioner explained that this can be linked to the area being a commercial hub and largely populated.

However, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) recorded the lowest crime rate at 1.60 per cent followed by Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) at 2.00 per cent.

“The Guyana Police Force continues to be proactive in combatting firearms-related matters, by aggressively cracking down on illegal networks that supply guns to criminals,” the Crime Chief underscored.

Additionally, the Force seized 1,425 kilogrammes (3,141 lbs) of cannabis, the largest quantity confiscated within the past five years. As a consequence of these seizures, a total of 188 persons were charged and placed before the court.

Meanwhile, about 14 police ranks were charged with varying criminal offences for the same period, demonstrating the Force’s commitment to accountability and transparency.