| Rape, murder, banditry and fear of crime in the Sophia Community were raised by residents at a recent meeting with members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the National Community Policing Group Saturday last.Of the 1,Authentic MLB Jerseys Online,500 invitations shared out to residents of Section ‘B’ Field Sophia, South Turkeyen,Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic, East Coast Demerara approximately 55 persons turned out to the Pattensen Community Centre to brainstorm solutions pertaining to the escalating occurrence of crime in that community.The meeting which was held under the theme “Community involvement for community safety and security was chaired by the GPF and executives of the National Community Policing Group.The meeting was a result of the South Sophia vigilante-style killing of 40-year-old Nigel Roy Lowe who was on May 09 beaten to death after being tied to a utility pole and left to die. A heap of wood was packed over the man’s body.In attendance were Assistant Police Superintendent Julius Wright, Chairman of the National Community Policing Association,Cheap Authentic Jerseys, Omesh Satyanand, Liaison Officer in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Leon Rampersaud and other ranks of the Sophia Police Station along with Policing Group members.Residents of the Sophia district noted that there is now a need to fingerprint youths in the area and create a profile based on their activities and actions if there is ever going to be proper investigations by the police, since on many occasions when finger prints are gathered from a crime scene there are not any comparisons to work with based on the investigations.It was also underscored that there is a need for more meetings between the residents, community policing groups and the police in order to better establish a proper crime fighting strategy.Residents declared that although there is need for a stronger police presence in the area both in the day and night, there is also need for justice for all those persons who worked hard during the day to ensure a decent lifestyle which is stymied by daily prowlers who invade homes indiscriminately and steal millions collectively within the community.“Imagine the bandits want to kill you for your own things when you try to protect what you own,Jerseys NFL Wholesale, and if they are killed in defense of protecting your property then is another whole story you have to face,” another resident in the area said when asked of the crime situation.Another burning issue was the lack of proper response by the police to distress calls made by residents of the community, especially in confrontation with dangerous criminals.“We need the police to be more aggressive in their investigation; they got to be proactive instead of reactive. Imagine when some police show up they take a statement from you if they feel like and when they feel like,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, they harass you and do not even understand the rights of a citizen. When carry out their investigations, they only telling you about what they can do and they don’t even know citizens rights even when you are telling them what rights you have,” one senior citizen in the Sophia community noted.On the other extreme,Wholesale Jerseys, the senior citizen noted that the youngsters have a lack of respect for authority and their seniors which will contribute to the escalation of crimes. “When you walk through these places you could see many of them on the corner during working and school hours. There is no excuse about jobs, if someone wants to earn money they can find something to do other than crime! But the attitude of laziness and behavior is clear when talking to many of the youths.”Another resident noted that the many loiterers are only watching the movements of residents in and out of their homes and waiting for the opportunity to use their energies in a negative manner to commit crimes instead of being positively occupied.“I wake up every hour on the hour to check around the place and the house, and if I see anything suspicious I would report it…That is how I have to live my life now,” one man explained.In the meeting it was also underscored that there is need for parents to take responsibility for their children’s choices and actions since on a random visit to the prisons it would be pointed out by most inmates that the reason for them being behind bars was the excuse of “lack of proper supervision by the parents and not being properly guided.”National Chairman of the Community Policing Group, Omesh Satyanand emphasized that a more responsible approach is needed to develop a better relationship between communities, police and the policing groups when sharing information and to ensure a proper understanding of the role of the community.“The Guyana Police Force has a very good training programme for all its ranks, while community policing members are exposed to the different types of training in respective areas. But yet there are members who do not follow protocol which causes a break down in the system.” Satyanand noted.Adding that today’s policing now includes bringing the youths and women on board, he said there is need for a positive influence for this grouping so they can also assist in the fight against crime.Chairman of the South Turkeyen Community Policing Group, Narine Kublall noted that there is a need for increased neighbourhood policing and community police patrolling in Sophia district as there have been numerous cases of banditry.He revealed that the organisation is working towards having its own vehicle to increase nightly patrols.Assistant Superintendent Wright also mentioned that there is a need for the police and the community to work hand in hand since without the assistance of the public many crimes go unsolved. |
