…says high profile criminals getting bail posing challenges
Senior Superintendent and Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum said the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has performed creditably thus far for 2017, with an 85 per cent success rate in solving crimes.
“In terms of serious crimes for the period January to date, when we did an analysis for the last period, that’s last year, we are on par so we have been doing fairly well,” Blanhum noted.
However, the Crime Chief said that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is concerned about the reported number of street crimes being committed. He added that the number of gun robberies and robberies committed on persons leaving commercial banks with large amounts of cash in their possession, are the most pressing and a lot of attention is being given to those types of crimes.
Moreover Blanhum posited that the situation is further exacerbated when high profile criminals are bailed. “When these known characters or high profile criminals, they are granted bail and they have matters before the courts that kind of imposes very difficult or unfavourable conditions on us,” he explained.
He noted that they are working with the intelligence arm of the force so that they can bring the situation under control. “We have been arresting persons, we have been dismantling criminal groups,” said Blanhum.
According to the Crime Chief despite this situation, ranks will continue to do their best to execute their mandate which is to serve and protect.
