Police step up patrols around Chinese-owned businesses to curb robberies

Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken said police have stepped up patrols around Chinese-owned businesses following a series of armed robberies targeting those establishments.

Speaking on the Guyana Police Force’s “Police Round-Up” programme, Hicken said several robberies at Chinese-owned supermarkets and restaurants had prompted an operational review and an expanded policing response.

“We’ve had some robberies at the Chinese restaurants and some of the establishments but we reviewed that almost immediately,” he said, adding that patrol coverage had been adjusted to reduce incidents.

He said the businesses had been mapped across all regions and incorporated into routine patrol schedules as part of efforts to deter further attacks.

Hicken also pointed to the role of CCTV surveillance centres in assisting investigations and crime detection, saying expanded deployment of the system would strengthen national crime-fighting efforts.

“If all the regions can pay attention to what is happening at the command centres, if something occurs we are gonna sweep down on it,” he said, urging offenders to desist, warning that surveillance coverage would make it difficult to evade detection.