Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum today announced that Guyana has recorded an 18.7% increase in murders so far for 2023. However, he noted that other serious crimes are on the decline.

Presenting an overview of crime in the country at the launch of the Guyana Police Force’s Christmas Plan, the Crime Chief Blanhum said the majority of the 133 murders recorded for the year so far, were disorderly in nature.

Almost 70% of the murder victims were men.

The figures cover murders that took place between January 1, 2023 and November 13, 2023, and include the 20 children killed in the Mahdia Dorm Fire.

“For a five-year period, domestic murders peaked in 2023. The main contributing factor is the tragic death of the 20 children during Mahdia Dormitory Fire,” the Crime Chief said.

He noted, however, that there was a 15% decrease in robberies, 23.1% decline in robbery under arms, and a 33.9% decline in robbery with violence. The number of rape cases also fell by 11.6% while burglary saw a decline of 44.8%

The Crime Chief said he was happy to report that there was no recorded case of piracy for the year.

However, he said the illicit use of firearms and the trafficking of guns and ammunition remain a serious concern for the Guyana Police Force.

“The Guyana Police Force continues to be proactive in combating firearm related matters by basically cracking down on illegal networks that supply criminals. For the year 2023, 128 illegal firearms were taken out of circulation” the Crime Chief said.

According to the Crime Chief, the majority of the illegal guns (29%) are coming from the US, followed by Brazil with 26%.

He said to combat these and other crimes, the Police will continue to set up road blocks at strategic locations, while targeting hot spots.

“We will continue with our road blocks at strategic locations throughout Guyana. We will continue to target hotspots, where there is a high concentration of crime, and we will continue to actively engage the members of the public…on how we can improve our service delivery,” the Crime Chief said.

Mr. Blanhum said while the Force continues to receive regional and international support through the Government, the support of citizens is critical in combating crime.

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