Guyana has recorded over 3,600 murders in 28 years. This data comes from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Guyana Police Force (GPF). The information is published on the Guyana Bureau of Statistics website under the heading, “Demography, Social and Vital Statistics.
The data covers the period 1990 – 2018.
According to the data, the lowest number of deaths was recorded in 2000, with 74 cases. There are five other years where the number of murders recorded, did not exceed 100. These are: 2001, 79; 1997, 87; 1996, 88; 1990, 90; and 1993, recording 117.
The year 2003 recorded the highest number of murders for that period (206), followed by 1991 with 192 cases.
From the year 2002 to 2018, Guyana has never recorded murders under triple digits, the data shows. In fact, the lowest number recorded between that 16-year period is 111 in 2018.
From 2000 to 2008, there were 1,210 reported murders; or 33.1% of all deaths between 1990 and 2018. This period is a contentious one, when the government of the day, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) was, and continues to be harangued for presiding over one of the deadliest periods of Guyana’s post-independence history.
The government – the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) – continues to cast blame on the PPP/C for this period; accusing its parliamentary opposition of affiliating with phantom squads that reportedly carried out judicial killings during that period.
The veracity of these claims is yet to be proven, despite the APNU’s consistent reference to that period, and being in office for four years.
