By Shemar Alleyne
President Irfaan Ali has poured cold water on the claims that crime has been on the rise in Guyana, noting that the statistics show otherwise.
The Head of State’s remarks come at a time when a number of persons and even organisations have expressed concern over the crime situation in the country, with the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) being the latest.
“The statistics based on all the reports shows crime is on the decline in Guyana, and there has been a tremendous decline in crime,” the Guyanese Leader said on the sidelines of an event at the Office of the President on Thursday.
“The problem with the figures is we had this issue at Mahdia that pushed up the murder rate.”
In a recent travel advisory, the US Department of State placed Guyana – the fastest growing economy in the world – in a level three category, which is one step away from a ‘do not travel’ warning.
The advisory noted that violent crimes, including murder and armed robbery, are common, especially at night, and the Police Force lacks the resources to respond effectively to serious criminal incidents.
But the Head of State told reporters that since ascending to office, his administration has worked aggressively to provide the Guyana Police Force (GPF) with tools to fight crimes.
“Even the one, two, three, four, five that exist is significantly important for us. So, we are working in a very holistic way. One, we are building out the infrastructure for the Police Force,” President Ali posited.
Only two weeks ago, Opposition Parliamentarian Geeta Chandan-Edmond called on the Ali-led Administration to arrest the crime situation in the country and restore calm and peace.
Her call came after Retired Assistant Police Commissioner Clinton Conway, who not only noted that crime is on the increase but accused the Police Force of docking the numbers.
Last month, the Police Force announced a 12.6 per cent decrease in serious crimes except murder.
The murder figures for 2023 have climbed to a whopping 37 per cent for 2023.
