Divisional Commander Malvin Glasgow, stationed at New Amsterdam but who was in the Albion area at the time, was summoned, and on arriving on the scene with backup ranks, came under heavy machine gunfire from the bandits, the Commissioner said.

He told a news conference at Police headquarters in Georgetown that the men were forced to dive for cover.

"The attack on Policemen and security guards is of concern to the us, and if they are not stopped great harm could be done to the society," the Commissioner said.

Noting that two more Policemen had been shot and that they were not armed, he reiterated: "This is not a situation that we are comfortable with, particularly when we are losing so many Policemen."

Apart from the slaying of the Policemen and the stealing of cash and jewellery, the bandits escaped with several rounds of ammunition and at least five weapons at Rose Hall.

"That situation we now have to sit down and analyse", McDonald said.

He cautioned, "We cannot afford to surrender the country to criminals..."

Asked what he perceived to be the motive behind the Rose Hall attacks, the Commissioner said he did not wish to make too many statements. "I am always cautious in making statements, especially in the initial stages," he said.

Commenting on the shortage of resources in the Police Force, he said the Force has worked out protocols with the Army in terms of sharing its resources.

"Since we are in an operational mode we have established a joint command centre, and we have been carrying out operations from there," he said.

He said there has to be better co-ordination and heightened intelligence.

He said there are certain types of resources the Force may need, but does not have to help it solve the problem. "But we are working together with the Army to ensure that the men are captured," the Commissioner said.

The Commissioner said that an analysis of fingerprints has led them to believe that there are some bandits regularly involved in some of the recent incidents.

He said spent shells were recovered from the scene of the shootings in Rose Hall and would be kept for ballistic examination. These include .62, .56, .32 and .38 shells. Two black `topes' (hats) and a black jersey were also found after the shootout.

McDonald reiterated his call to all law-abiding citizens to provide the necessary support to the Force in this difficult period.

The incidents that occurred in Rose Hall were very sad and do not do well for this country, the Commissioner said.

He said Commander Glasgow who was in the area at the time, responded along with the Anti-crime patrol.

They came under rapid machine gunfire, during which time Constable 11405 Outar Kissoon was hit in the head and subsequently died. The Self-loading rifle (SLR) with which he was armed has not been recovered.

Noting that Glasgow "barely" escaped unhurt, McDonald explained: "in fact they were not prepared for such a large contingent of bandits attacking them." He reasoned that having heard that a Chinese restaurant was robbed, they figured that about two or three men might have been involved. However, the Police quickly summoned backup.

The Commissioner said that one man - a Rasta - was found. The man who suffered a gunshot behind the head, claimed he was from New Amsterdam, but was visiting an uncle in Rose Hall. He is currently under police guard in hospital.

McDonald said Police were somewhat hampered in their chase due to the swampy terrain and dark and bushy conditions. "Had they gone in, we would have had more casualties," he said.

When Police returned later yesterday morning to the area, they came upon the body of Constable Pardat who was shot about quarter of a mile from the seashore.

A hire car which happened to be passing at the time of the shootout was also damaged by gunfire, the top cop said.

McDonald said that based on information received, the Police suspect that the bandits left the area using a boat.

"But we cannot say how they arrived at the location, and how long they were in that area."

The Police, however, have determined that the men were not from the location.

McDonald said Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Winston Felix has since been sent to Berbice to assess the situation there.