As cellphones top the list for articles stolen during robberies, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is looking to dismantle the market in which they are resold.
This is according to Commander of Division 4A (Georgetown), Assistant Commissioner Simon McBean during an interview on Thursday. He noted that there seems to be a large market created so that the stolen devices can be sold off.
“One of the areas that we found with most of our street crime is that cellphone has been the major article that the stolen. We are of the belief that there is a heavy market for cellphones and that’s something that we’re looking at. If we can disrupt that market, we will be able to disrupt that cycle and crack that area,” Mc Bean pointed out.
Overall, the Commander shared that his division is on top of the crime situation, with a reduction on serious crimes by 33 percent. He said street crimes account for 57 percent of serious crimes committed. Current hotspots are the Stabroek Market and Sophia.
“Street crimes continue to be our main bother and also our main focus. I am talking about our robbery under arms. Our analysis shows that the days when street crimes frequent are Fridays, then Thursdays and Wednesdays.”
Between 15:00h and midnight, street crimes are most likely to occur based on trends recorded within the division.
For this year, 28 firearms were taken off the streets when compared to 15 for 2022. Meanwhile, 3,199 grams of cannabis was seized as opposed to 1,813 for the same period. Some 202 grams of cocaine was also seized.
He recognized the importance of collaboration with agencies and Ministries to adequately conduct proper policing in the communities.
The Commander noted, “We cannot do this by ourselves. For policing to be successful, we must foster partnership with all agencies that can lend a helping hand. We have been doing that in the sense of our domestic violence and any sexual related offences. We depend a lot on our partners like the Ministry of Human Services to assist us in providing the services the civilian needs.”
