Guns and more guns
110 murders so far this year
Stabroek News
October 27, 2002
More guns have been used in robberies this year and 48% of the 110 murders to date have been from gunshot wounds, says Acting Police Commissioner Floyd McDonald.
The top cop was, at the time, briefing members of the media at his Eve Leary, Georgetown office on Friday.
According to McDonald, by the end of September, 55% of the offences of robbery-under-arms were committed with the use of firearms, compared with 32% for the corresponding period last year.
At the time of the press conference, McDonald reported that there were 109 murders for the year, which, he said, was much higher than the corresponding period last year. Figures for 2001 were not readily available but in 2000 there were 95 intentional murders/manslaughters. Another one was added to the 2002 list yesterday morning with the discovery of what is believed to be the body of Camaldeo Ganesh at the back of Buxton.
And of the murders to date, McDonald said 10% of them had been classified as drug related, while 17 were committed as a result of robberies. "At the last Officers Conference, I indicated that the use of firearms to commit robberies was of concern to us. This dangerous trend continues," the top cop stated.
There was a sharp escalation in criminal activity since the February 23 prison escape of five men, four of whom are still at large. Since the jail-break, there has been a series of murders, robberies, carjackings and, more recently, kidnappings. Five persons were kidnapped over a two-day period this past week.
Just recently this newspaper had reported that by the end of August, more than three dozen people, including 10 policemen, lost their lives violently within a seven-month period.
Among those murdered, to date, were prison officer Troy Williams who was shot as Dale Moore, Troy Dick, Mark Fraser, Shawn Brown and the late Andrew Douglas blasted their way out of the Camp Street jail on February 23; Police Superintendent Leon Fraser; Detective Harry Kooseram; other cops Sherwin Alleyne, Andy Atwell, Rawle Thomas, Adrian London, Outar Kissoon, Ramphal Pardat, Feroze Bashir and Inspector Leyland October; and Vibert Inniss, Deputy Head of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU).
Also murdered were Vigil security guard Chaitram Etwaru; Cambio worker Ramnauth Persaud; businesswoman Claudette Ng-See-Quan; former sugar worker Mohamed Kayan Baksh; security guard Carlyle Wick-ham; PPP delegate Balram Kandhi; Luxury Cabs driver Motilall Lall; Tony Evans and Michael Allen; teenager Delroy Gomes; Lloyd Singh and his sister Joy Arjune; and Gavin Naraine.