The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) have expressed its alarm at the number of robberies being perpetrated on city businesses and businesspersons.
In a press statement to the media today, Tuesday July 16, GCCI stated, “There is a spike in armed and violent criminal acts that is directed towards the business community in the past few months and which has intensified as of late.”
As such, the GCCI is calling on the Guyana Police Force to respond to the threat vigorously and effectively by implementing measures to apprehend “those perpetrating these heinous crimes and moreover, dedicate additional security resources towards businesses to prevent robberies from occurring and also to respond promptly when crimes are reported to the various police stations.”
According to GCCI, failure on the part of the Police Force to do so would only embolden criminal thugs to intensify their assault on businesses.
GCCI is also urging all businesses to take precautionary measures to ensure that they have adequate security infrastructure and procedures in place to reduce the likelihood of their businesses being targeted.
“Also, we encourage businesses to consider the use of private security services when transporting huge sums of cash and also for advisory services on the design and implementation of an effective security system and strategy.”
In the coming weeks, the Chamber will be releasing security advisories aimed at the business community and also will be hosting a security seminar on August 13 to sensitise the private sector on strategies and best practices on securing and protecting their businesses.
“Also, we are hopeful that the Guyana Police Force can participate in this seminar so as to share its strategy for addressing the recent upsurge in violent crime that is calculated towards the business community.”
