Police patrol absent from Buxton after Sunday attack by residents
Stabroek News
September 17, 2002
Following the attack on four ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) in Buxton on Sunday, no police patrol was seen yesterday in the village but the army continued to maintain its presence.
On Saturday, soldiers along with police ranks conducted an extended joint patrol south of the village. During the operation, residents hurled taunts at five young police officers, who had braved the hostility and re-entered the village after some six months of a stand-off between villagers and police.
The villagers had taken this stand following the shooting to death of Shaka Blair in Buxton. Blair, 32, was gunned down under controversial circumstances in his home by members of the Target Special Squad (TSS) on April 6.
On Sunday, the policemen with army ranks at Brushe Dam when four of them were injured by residents. One of the four ranks was lashed on his right cheek with a piece of iron by a female resident, another was struck by a rock on the right side of his forehead, the third was hit on the back of his neck by a missile, and the fourth received a lash to the back of his head.
All four were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GHPC) where they received treatment and were sent away.
Yesterday, when this newspaper visited the area, only the army ranks were seen patrolling. A police patrol was seen in the area of Sparendaam. An army source confirmed that the police officers did not rejoin them yesterday.
The source said that it was felt that after what transpired on Sunday the police officers might have been daunted. However, the source said, the soldiers have not been having problems with the residents and they will continue to do their work.
An eyewitness to Sunday’s incident said that it was around 10 am when the residents, mostly women, attacked the police.
According to the eyewitness, the women after seeing the officers approaching the corner where they were standing, began to throw taunts at them. Stabroek News understands that the officers ignored them and the armed soldiers also paid little attention to them.
The eyewitness observed that when the women began to throw their missiles, the soldiers moved off a little from the area and it was at this point that the residents advanced further to the police and assaulted them. No attempt to shoot at the hostile crowd was made by the police, nor did the army try to dissuade the women from injuring the police officers, the eyewitness said.
Meanwhile, during a crime consultation last week, Commander Gary Best had told the audience that the army had paved the way for the police to enter south of the village.