A large gathering including representatives from the PPP/C and PNC/R attended the funeral of slain detective sergeant Harry Kooseram yesterday and Police Commissioner Floyd McDonald vowed that no effort will be spared in bringing his killer to justice.

Kooseram, 37, of 149 First Street, Bladen Hall, East Coast Demerara was shot six times while riding to work.

According to a police press release issued on Monday, Kooseram was on his way to the Vigilance Police Station a short distance away from his home when a man approached him pulled out a gun which was wrapped in paper and fired six shots at him. Two of the bullets hit in the chest another three in his abdomen and one in his side. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he died. His assailant is yet to be found.

With military pomp and splendour the former officer was laid to rest, following a service according to Hindu rites and an outpouring of emotion from his wife and children and several of his working colleagues. Many of his relatives fainted and had to be revived, while others, who were visibly touched, tried hard to maintain their composure. The body of the slain police officer was transported to his home at Bladen Hall at about 10 am yesterday at which time many residents and members of the police force viewed the body.

The funeral service commenced at 2:15 pm. Among those in attendance were Minister of Home Affairs, Ronald Gajraj; acting Commissioner of Police, Floyd McDonald; Director of Prisons, Dale Erskine; Chief Fire Officer, Prince Dickenson; and a four-member delegation from the PNC/R headed by Member of Parliament Clarissa Riehl and including Volda Reman Lawrence MP, Cyrilda De Jesus and Joseph Hamilton.

Paying tribute at the service which was held at the home of the deceased, Gajraj said that Kooseram was an officer of tremendous ability. "He certainly showed tremendous promise and because of this he was elevated from corporal to lance corporal and then to sergeant." Gajraj said that he was not only speaking in his capacity as home affairs minister but as a friend of the deceased since the two of them had worked together. The minister pointed out that it was because of the slain detective's moral rectitude and steadfast commitment to his duties as a police officer that he was promoted. He said that Kooseram was industrious and was a very meticulous investigator.

Gajraj declared that those who were criminally minded had been allowed to continue with their acts of murder and banditry and had been receiving support from leaders of society. "When a police officer goes about his business in a professional manner and then falls at the hands of criminals it is of much concern to us in the Guyana Police Force. I know that there are forces out there who want to see the police force fall to pieces, but this force will succeed and we will not give up."

He said that there were leaders who were claiming that they supported the police force in the public, but behind closed doors they urged others to look upon the force with contempt. He called on all the officers to remain positive, stating that though their lives and reputation were under threat they would succeed in fighting against crime because good will one day triumph over evil.

McDonald promised that the GPF will continue to support the deceased's family. He said that the force had invested money in training Kooseram and he was on the list for further training this year. McDonald said the force was committed to ensuring that law and order prevailed in the society and would not rest until the perpetrator of the crime was brought to justice. He argued that his officers sometimes put themselves at risk to protect the lives of the Guyanese citizens yet others found it fit to demonise the force. "It is time we stand together as a force in this our darkest hour. We must be united and resilient in our efforts and only then we will succeed."

Riehl expressed sympathy to the family on behalf of her party. She insisted that the PNC/R was not anti-police as some were led to believe, but the party stood committed and supportive to the force once it discharged its duties in a professional and lawful manner. She said that her party was feeling the same pain as the relatives of Kooseram and the GPF and urged that those who were responsible for the heinous criminal activity be speedily brought to justice. According to her the force was tasked with several duties, chief among them to maintain law and order and must be given the opportunity do so.

When the body of the slain officer was removed from his home officers of the force dressed in ceremonial uniforms slow-marched to the Bladen Hall Public Road.

The mourners then embarked in vehicles while the officers boarded their buses and headed for the cemetery at Good Hope, ECD. When the procession got past Buxton in the vicinity of Lusignan the officers return to the road, forming themselves into a unit and marched to the burial ground.

During yesterday's proceedings there was a heavy police presence on the Railway Embankment and the Public Road. Members of the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) along with those of the Target Special Squad (TSS) were seen patrolling the area especially in the vicinity of Buxton/Friendship. (Nigel Williams)