Bharrat Jagdeo

Opposition Leader and former President, Bharrat Jagdeo has expressed worry about the crime situation in the country and says the crime situation “has never been this bad”.

Speaking at a Thursday afternoon press conference at the PPP’s Freedom House headquarters, Mr. Jagdeo said the spate of robberies in the country mirrors a decline in moral in the Guyana Police Force because “nobody knows what the President really wants”.

Jagdeo did not offer any remedy to combat the crime problem but told journalists that the government should also provide the evidence that it has been able to tackle the drug trafficking problem.

The Opposition leader served as President of Guyana from 1999 to 2011 and it was during that period that Guyana saw some of the worst criminal events in the country.  It was during that period that a jail break led to a significant increase in criminal activities with murders and robberies being at an all time high.

It was during Jagdeo’s Presidency also that Guyana saw the bloody attacks by gunmen at Bartica and Lusignan that left over 15 persons dead. During the Jagdeo years also, gun running and the narcotics trade increased with drug lords openly forming killing gangs that may be responsible for over 400 murders during that period.

The Guyana Police Force has reported that while crime still remains a problem in Guyana, the overall crime rate is down by more than 15% when compared to the same period a year ago.