The new Minister of Home Affairs, Oneidge Walrond said while serious crimes in Guyana are on the decline,  she is concerned about the level of Prosecution of criminal cases in the country.

Speaking to reporters at the construction site for the new Brickdam Police Station today, Minister Walrond, who is a former Magistrate, said she has made her concerns known in meetings with the Police and the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit.

The Home Affairs Minister explained that while there are reports of drug busts, and the seizure of illegal guns and ammunition, the level of prosecution remains a concern.

“My concern as a former Magistrate is, how many of these have been prosecuted, what is the follow through? Because the criminals are not going to respond, people are not going to respond if you are not seeing the full enforcement and so, my question has been and my query has been, how many of this have been prosecuted? Where are we, in the process of prosecuting?” Minister Walrond said.

However, while the level of prosecution remains a concern, Walrond reported that serious crimes are on the decline in the country.  

Alluding to the Tourism Industry, Minister Walrond said during her stint as the Tourism Minister, she was often pressed with questions about the country’s crime rate due to a number of misconceptions. However, she said the reality is serious crimes have reduced by 26% in the country.

“Every single one of our events, where we have seen record breaking arrivals, there have been no incident of robbery, no armed robbery on the road. And so, while it is anecdotal, we have the statistics to show that serious crimes, those kinds of crimes are on the decline,” she said.

The Home Affairs Minister admitted that domestic violence remains a serious issue. The Administration, she assured, will tackle the issue.

Turning her attention to traffic management, the Home Affairs Minister said better management of the country’s roadways is badly needed. Added to that, Minister Walrond said there appears to be lapses in enforcement.

It was pointed out that hours after her meeting with the Commissioner of Police on Monday, approximately one thousand traffic charges were instituted. It was noted that while e-tickets were issued, there were no follow-ups or charges laid, and she wants that corrected.

“So, it is going to be a phased approach in terms of prosecuting those charges, ensuring that there is enforceability, people understand that in terms of the traffic, that infractions are going to be followed up on,” she said.

Minister Walrond said she will be building on the Smart Country Security Programme by leveraging technology to combat crime.

She said she wants to build a high-level world-class Police force, where cutting edge technology would be used to keep communities safe, and combat crime.

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