Stabroek News
July 5, 2001

The PNC REFORM (PNC/R) has denounced a statement issued by the Guyana Police Force which attributed the recent crime wave to a perpetrators of a certain ethnicity.

"I call upon [citizens] to denounce and repel this gratuitous insult with all the vigour at our command and by all necessary means," PNC/R's central executive member Raphael Trotman said at a press conference hosted by his party yesterday at Congress Place, Sophia.

"The Commissioner has been pursuing a course of action which has been disturbing the stability of the country," stated leader of PNC/R, Desmond Hoyte who shared the briefing with PNC/R general secretary Oscar Clarke, executive member James Mc Allister, and Trotman.

Alluding to the statement,Trotman said Police Commissioner Laurie Lewis seemed to be acting in desperation to please the ruling political directorate "whose useful tool he has allowed himself to become."

"He has been unable to solve major crimes, the public has lost confidence in him since the force, under his command, has been unable to provide the average citizen with the service and protection which is their constitutional right," Trotman stated.

The PNC/R executive felt that the motive behind the Commissioner's statement is a reaction to the public criticism of his stewardship. He charged that the reputation of the force has deteriorated a lot in recent years.

He also contended that the Target Special Squad (TSS), popularly known as the Black Clothes Police, has been killing citizens with impunity.

Although Lewis has reached the statutory retirement age, the government has allowed him to occupy the office of Commissioner illegally, he said.

He stated that government was aware of the violation of the constitutional provision by allowing Lewis to remain in office and was examining ways to resolve the anomaly.

He acknowledged that the PNC/R had contemplated legal action as a recourse but expressed hope that good sense would prevail and Lewis would be removed.

Hoyte accepted that he had appointed Lewis during his tenure as President of Guyana but emphasised that Lewis had administered the force poorly during recent years.

He declared that Lewis had no control over some elements in the force and the police cannot now fulfill its mandate to serve and protect the citizens of the country.

He noted that when citizens disappear and are gunned down at the hands of the police, there are seldom any enquiries set up.

While some members of society maintain there is a need for the TSS, drawing a comparison with the US Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, Hoyte said the attempt to equate the two was not appropriate.

He said the TSS was led by "psychopaths" who were bent on "doing what they want."

There have been numerous reports of assault at the hands of the TSS, with a particular member not being satisfied until he kicked persons in the stomach, he said.

In answer to a query, Trotman noted that neither an ambulance nor back-up was summoned when the TSS arrive on a scene to deal with a situation.

This is simply to send a message that someone might end up dead and the beatings are for public consumption to send a message that they must not be messed with, he said.

The PNC/R leader told reporters he had written to President Bharrat Jagdeo shortly after the Buxton incidents had started and pointed out that the police's involvement had exacerbated the situation.

In his letter, Hoyte said the police had frequently raided villages, assaulted and arrested young people at random.

Some persons were detained on fictitious charges while others were released without being charged.

The police statement had said investigations revealed there was a clear pattern of criminal activity designed to create a climate of instability in the country.

The police charged that questionable characters had been recruited to carry out criminal activities to enable the environment being created.

Robberies listed by the police were carried out in areas such as Lamaha Park Squatting Area; Agriculture Road, East Coast Demerara; Non Pariel; Corriverton; and La Retraite, West Bank Demerara. (Andrew Richards)