26 november 2004
Murders down dramatically - Crime Chief
`Firearms are now our greatest threat'
Murders are down dramatically with almost 70 fewer deaths than the corresponding period last year although the police force is worried about the number of guns being used in robberies.
Crime Chief Henry Greene yesterday presented the statistics showing that domestic disputes accounted for the majority of the 109 murders recorded between January 1st and October 31st of this year.
He said that there were 27 execution killings in the total figure, which is down from the 175 murders recorded in the corresponding period for the previous year. Deputy Commissioner Greene was at the time addressing members of the business community yesterday when the police force unveiled its Christmas plan. As part of an impressive presentation on crime between 1999-2004, he also reported a small reduction in armed robberies for the year, which were pegged at 889 compared with 985 in the same time period last year.
But he echoed the concerns of some of the businessmen in attendance about the high incidence of guns being used during those robberies, noting that they feature in at least 593 of the cases. Greene said, "indeed, firearms are now our greatest threat," after he had disclosed the figure. He also looked at organised crime specifically in Buxton, where he said that there was the most significant gang operation ever in Guyana.
"There were none as vicious, ruthless and dangerous as those that came out of Buxton," he noted. He traced the activities in the period from the jail-break on February 23rd, 2002 to July last year, by which time four of the five prison escapees were killed after a period characterised by unprecedented murders, robberies and arson. Twenty-one policemen were killed between the jail-break and July last year, the most ever in any single period of the force's 160-year history.
Greene however noted that there was a resuscitation of crime in the village at the start of the year which saw the murder of two policemen. He said of late the criminals had been resorting to intimidation, harassment and threatening persons who were supporting the activities of the police.
As a result he said that the police have had to resume the same modus operandi that they employed while the 2002 prison escapees were using the village as their centre of operations. This includes the presence of armed patrols and frequent raids, which with intensified intelligence efforts were credited by the Crime Chief as being responsible for the marked reduction of major robberies.
He added that fewer persons have been killed in robberies so far this year than last year. Greene however noted that witnesses have been uncooperative during identifications for robberies and murders. He lamented that even in instances where they could clearly identify the suspects witnesses would fail to show up at the identification parade. He also said that the police have also been encountering false reports of crimes. He said that there were at least seven instances of the phenomenon, six cases about kidnappings and once about a robbery. As a result several persons are now facing charges for the reports.
Notable successes
Greene cited several recent efforts among the force's successes. He pointed to the arrest and institution of charges against Alan Wills, the suspect in the murders of two men in McDoom and Agricola on the East Bank of Demerara. Also, he recalled the arrest of a suspect and recovery of loot after the robbery at the Jules Chabrol residence at Success on the East Coast Demerara.
Gopaul Chowtie was killed after a confrontation with police while his alleged accomplice was arrested and later charged following the incident earlier in the year. Greene cited too the elaborate sting operation that saw the arrest of several persons for "trunking." Four persons are now before the courts and another was recently arrested.
He also noted the arrests of four persons for the robbery and murder of taxi driver Trevor Smith at Beterverwagting. More recently he said that the police had also managed to arrest members of a robbery gang that had been operating out of Sophia. Another area of success was the forensics and ballistics units of the police crime lab.
He said that the units visited 922 crime scenes for the year from which they lifted 372 fingerprints. Greene said that 28 cases have been made out while 21 persons whose prints were found at various crime scenes are still at large and other cases are pending. He explained that there is also an active ballistics unit that has traced at least 251 spent shells found at various scenes of crimes. Of the number, 89 were fired from different guns recovered from bandits who used them in 14 different crimes.
He expected that the work of the unit would benefit from a bullet-catcher machine used to verify various firearm probes. In the area of narcotics interdictions he noted that the cocaine trade was still prevalent but said that the force has been working with local agencies to stem the flow.
Greene added that there was also a recent case where persons were held in Suriname against their will and forced into prostitution. They subsequently fled and have made reports to the local police. Greene also reported that there were 12 reports of police fatal shootings for the year compared with 36 for the previous year. He said that after legal advice was sought inquests were recommended in a majority of the cases. (Stabroek /Guyana))
13 november 2004
Dutch national denies dangerous driving charge
According to police reports, at 4.30 pm, Hans Van Der Roest, whose age and address were not given, had been driving Land Cruiser PJJ 938 west along Battery Road, Kingston and failed to stop when he approached Water Street. He allegedly collided with minibus PHH 2278 resulting in extensive damage to both vehicles. Two passengers in the minibus suffered minor injuries. He was granted bail in the sum of $35,000 and the matter is scheduled for the Traffic Court on December 3.
10 november 2004
Industry man stole two passports after promising jobs in Suriname
Gani denied the larceny charge and he was ordered to return to court on December 7 for report and fixture. According to the police report, the victims were standing at the Sophia car park when Gani met them and offered them jobs in Suriname. Following that conversation, Gani allegedly went to the Boodhoos' home and collected their passports. After days of not hearing from Gani, the victims contacted him and Gani reportedly denied having the passports. A report was subsequently made to the police and Gani was arrested.
2 november 2004
By Paul Gallagher and Anna Mudeva
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Controversial Dutch filmmaker and newspaper columnist Theo van Gogh, who made a film about violence against women in Islamic societies, was stabbed and shot dead in Amsterdam on Tuesday morning, police said.
Van Gogh was criticized for a film shown this year on Dutch television about a Muslim woman forced into an arranged marriage who is abused by her husband and raped by her uncle. One of his colleagues said he was a champion of free speech.
Van Gogh was stabbed and shot near a park in central Amsterdam. Police said they arrested a man at the scene after an exchange of gunfire in which the suspect wounded a police officer. The suspect was wounded in his leg.
"He did receive death threats but he never took them quite seriously. He was a controversial figure and a champion of free speech," a colleague at Van Gogh's film production company said.
Van Gogh had also been working on a feature film about the 2002 murder of controversial anti-immigration populist Pim Fortuyn, which was due to make its premier in January with previews to be shown on the Internet next month.
Van Gogh received death threats after "Submission" was broadcast on Dutch national television earlier this year.
He made the film with Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali refugee given Dutch citizenship after fleeing an arranged marriage 12 years ago. Hirsi Ali, who calls herself an ex-Muslim, has been under police protection since receiving death threats because of the film.
The short feature angered some Muslims in the Netherlands -- home to nearly one million Muslims or 5.5 percent of the population -- and some newspapers criticized the film.
The Dutch wing of the European Arab League, one of several organizations to criticize "Submission" as insulting to Muslims, said they were shocked by the news of Van Gogh's murder.
"It's horrible. We don't know who did it and why but it's absolutely shocking that someone can be shot dead in a park in Amsterdam," said Nabil Maruch. "Shots and death threats are not the way to make people think differently." The Dutch center-right government has pushed for greater integration of immigrants through language tests and citizenship classes and has sparked controversy with plans to repatriate up to 26,000 failed asylum seekers. (Additional reporting by Melanie Cheary, Lucas van Grinsven)