– maintain that serious crime is decreasing In the face of heavy criticism over the recent spike in criminal activity, the Guyana Police Force has announced a 19% decrease in serious crimes at the end of April this year, relative to the same period last year.(Above) Police officers with their trainers in Miami, Florida, USA.(Below) The police say there will be additional manpower deployment and increased patrols.Recent activities by criminals have created some unease throughout most of Guyana, especially as the country prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary of independence.Chief among those who have been expressing concerns are the Georgetown, Berbice and Upper Corentyne Chambers of Commerce.The Chambers had stated that the “escalating” crime rate could place a damper on investment.The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) last week stated that it is extremely concerned about the increase in armed robberies and violent crimes being perpetrated on members of the business community and the country as a whole.The Berbice and Upper Corentyne Chambers of Commerce in a joint press statement had criticized the current government’s approach to the spike in criminal activities, describing the government as powerless, ineffectual, and out of its league.But the police are maintaining that the perception of steeply rising criminal activity is not a true reflection of the current situation.In a carefully worded statement issued yesterday,Wholesale China Jerseys, the police announced that there were decreases in almost all the categories of serious crimes.According to the Force, statistics up to a week ago show that there was a nine percent reduction in reports of murder; a nine percent decrease in gun-related robberies; and an eight percent decrease in armed robberies where other instruments were used by the perpetrators.It also announced a 38 percent decrease in robberies with violence; a similar percentage? decrease in robberies with aggravation; an 18 percent decrease in rape; and a 22 percent decrease in break and enter and larceny.The Guyana Police Force noted that the reports of serious crimes made last month were 32 percent less than those made the previous month, pointing to a decrease of criminal activity, despite recent reports of sensational news items on high profile acts of crime.“The slowing down of the crime rates is based on several initiatives taken by the Government and the Guyana Police Force to manage the crime situation. Highlights of these are capacity building in the Criminal Investigation Department that is now manifested in perpetrators of high profile crimes being arrested within two to three days of their occurrence,” the police force stated.“That situation coupled with the Social Crime Prevention Programme and our anti-crime patrol systems as well as Government policy initiatives are developing the public trust and reducing the fear of crime in the Guyanese society,” it added.The Force is also pointing to its partnership programmes with civil society organisations and collaboration with local and foreign law enforcement agencies which have served to strengthen its capacity. It said that the continuous exposure of its ranks to training both locally and internationally has served to develop the Force’s ability to deliver at the frontline level, at management level and at leadership level.At the moment, 12 Assistant Superintendents of Police are attached to the Dade County Police, Miami, for a period of three weeks. This training is likely to expose them to a First World approach on designing tactics and delivering on frontline functions.The police said that so far for this year, 33 of its members have received training overseas in various aspects of law enforcement,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, inclusive of a three-month Course in Cyber Crime in India, a three-month Course in Advanced Fingerprint Technology also in India,Cheap Stitched Jerseys, and an Advanced Crime Scene Investigation Course in Russia.Locally,Cheap Authentic Jerseys, another batch of 34 new entrants to the Criminal Investigation Department has completed a six-week training programme.This is in addition to 24 ranks who completed an Intelligence Gathering and Analysis Course, 20 ranks who participated in a Narcotics Investigators Course, and another 35 who attended a programme on National Protocols for Child Advocacy Centres Multi-disciplinary Teams.But not all are impressed by these announcements.According to the GCCI, it is extremely disturbing that all the support over the years, from both local and international agencies,Cheap NFL Jerseys, seems to have done very little to improve the overall effectiveness of the Guyana Po