Bandits terrorizing residents in Deputy Commissioner’s backyard

Deputy Commissioner of Police Errol Watts 

February 26, 2025

Residents in Lamaha Springs and Park are expressing frustration at the level of banditry and vandalism taking place in the two areas just doors away from where Deputy Commissioner of Police Errol Watts resides.

In a letter to the press, the residents have expressed that they are suffering from a tremendous level of distress, uneasiness, and vulnerability to criminal elements.

The residents have also claimed that bandits’ access to the area has increased with a road linking project that passes through a squatting area and into the community.

In addition to the wanton robberies taking place in the community without hassle, residents are of the view that this is directly linked to the lack of frequent police patrols, the residents are also paying a heavy price for the acts of vehicle vandalism and break-ins.

“Lamaha Springs, familiarly known as the Joint Services Scheme, is home to current and former heads of disciplined services. The latest break-ins occurred on the evening of February 23, when residents woke up to find over ten vehicles were broken into and items stolen” The letter to the press noted.

The residents are claiming that at least two residents recently were robbed at gunpoint and made to hand over valuables and cash.

While the residents feel the road linkage has brought the crime situation in that once quiet community to an alarming rate, they believe it can be addressed with robust police patrol coordination and the involvement of the joint services members who make up a large percentage of the resident occupancy there.

Deputy Commissioner Watts is the person within the Guyana Police Force whose immediate responsibility is the effective management of police patrols and ensuring that the respective divisions are adequately provided with the necessary resources for patrolling and anticrime operations based on resource availability within the organization.

From the account of these residents in their letter to the press, it appears that the Office of the Deputy Commissioner Operations is failing miserably in this regard.