`Stay vigilant’ - President warns citizens
by Nivedta Kowlessar
`We need to remain focused. We shouldn’t get too euphoric that we are over this hump. We should ensure that we continue working hard, especially at the Police level…” President Bharrat Jagdeo

PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday warned citizens to stay vigilant as the Police and Army establish control over a wave of violent crime gripping the country for more than a year.

While commending the security forces for professional operations in which several notorious bandits were slayed over the past week, the latest in a heavily populated section of the capital, he said the nation should not be complacent.

“…that is one thing I wish to warn - that we do not\become complacent because crime could rear its head at any time again in massive ways if we’re not very vigilant,” he told a media briefing at State House in Georgetown.

“We need to remain focused. We shouldn’t get too euphoric that we are over this hump. We should ensure that we continue working hard, especially at the Police level…”.

The President said the Police and Army will continue to receive Government support to fight the “changed form” of sustained crime confronting Guyana and Caribbean countries, particularly Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.

“We have to be careful. We’re a bit fortunate that we have been able to stem the tide here, but if we’re not vigilant, there could be a permanency about that situation…”, he noted.

Endorsing a call by Home Affairs Minister, Ronald Gajraj on Friday for more community support, President Jagdeo said there should be more emphasis on forming community policing groups that will work along with the Police, even if they just play the role of the “ears and eyes” of the lawmen.

The recent breakthrough by security forces resulted from closer Police and Army coordination and more intelligence, which came forth as people got fed up with bandits taking over the East Coast Demerara village of Buxton and creating major economic problems for its inhabitants.

This led to more targeted operations and the President said he would “insist” that the Police and Army, deployed in joint operations on the East Coast Demerara since last year, continue to be there to remove all the remaining criminals who may still be, to a lesser extent, terrorising Buxton.

He said he was pleased life in the village has been returning to normal, referring to the hardships residents have been suffering because of the drying up of all economic activities.

The President also hoped many law abiding citizens who fled in fear to live elsewhere, can return, but noted there is still “unfinished work” to ensure the community goes back to normal.

The key issue is rebuilding the people’s confidence, which would develop as the restoration of security progresses, and the President said development projects in Buxton and neighbouring villages, also terrorised by bandits, would proceed simultaneously.

He said he was not aware of any formal help from the British or Americans in any of the recent operations.

The bulk of international capacity building aid has come from Britain, which is helping with reform and training of local officers by Scotland Yard.

But Mr. Jagdeo said it was unfortunate the British have insisted on local lawmen having a particular type of weapon before training them, since people were being killed in the meantime.

A SWAT team is to be trained and once functional, the Target Squad would be disbanded, with some of its members being transferred into that unit, which would be much larger and better trained to deal with the situation.

Canada has contributed protective gear and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) offered to collaborate mainly to solve the case of the kidnapping of U.S diplomat, Stephen Lesniak at the Lusignan Golf Course, East Coast Demerara on April 12 last.

But the President, who had been critical of previous unsuccessful attempts by security forces to bring the situation under control, said he had no doubts about capabilities of the Police and Army fighting bandits in spite of their heavy weaponry.

This kind of equipment, he said, has been coming across the country’s borders, especially with Suriname, which promised collaboration with the Police, and from the U.S., through containers and barrels.

The President also condemned the politicisation and racist labelling of criminals by “mad fringe” groups and the notion that poverty is the chief source of crime.

He said he was “very disturbed” by one organisation’s claims that only one section of Guyanese has been suffering at the hands of bandits, noting it was divisive and does not augur well for national unity,

The Head of State also urged the Guyana Human Rights Association to be more balanced in its pronouncements on the situation, noting its silence on the suffering of victims.

He expressed worry about some very opportunistic crimes committed recently, with people “settling scores” by killing members of families and blaming bandits.

But he urged the security forces to remain vigilant, saying he was pleased with the results of hard work by their personnel and the leadership role by Minister Gajraj, who all had many nights of hard work “quietly behind the scenes”.