Army, police working closer in crime fight
-Collins, McDonald
By Samantha Alleyne
Stabroek News
October 4, 2002
Better communications between the police and army along with more resources for the GDF are helping to take the fight to the criminals.
This is according to Acting Chief of Staff of the GDF, Edward Collins who said the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) have revised their inter-agency communication protocol.
He was speaking at a press conference held by the army and the police at the Police Officers’ Mess, Eve Leary. He was joined at the head table by Commissioner of Police(ag), Floyd McDonald, Assistant Commissioner, Winston Felix, Assistant Superintendent, David Ramnarine and Lt Col Bruce Lovell.
“We would like to take this opportunity to publicly reassure commuters on the East Coast Demerara that additional security measures have been introduced as well.”
Over the last few months there has been an upsurge in crime in the country and several persons have been robbed and injured while passing the stretch between Annandale and Buxton on the East Coast public road. Last Friday, two Berbicians were killed on the Buxton road while on their way to the airport.
Collins said the joint services are committed to ensuring the free flow of traffic along the important corridor on the East Coast.
Collins disclosed that the press conference was called to update the public on the activities of the joint services as it relates to the East Coast of Demerara.
He said ever since the joint operation in Buxton last Saturday, which did not turn up any arms or result in arrests, the army and police have intensified activities further.
“Our main effort is the detection and prevention of crimes and as such our intelligence and preemptive actions will continue to focus on criminal networks.
And operations such as cordons and searches and road blocks are likely to continue,” Collins said.
There has been concern in the public that there could have been intelligence leaks in both security forces which could have alerted persons in Buxton to Saturday’s planned raid.
When this question was posed McDonald said, “We have no information to suggest that anyone was forewarned prior to the commencement of the operation. It was just unfortunate that we have been unlucky on this occasion not to recover any arms and ammunition.”
According to him experience has shown over the years that people hardly every keep their arms and ammunition at the same location where they live. “In some other cases they find innovative methods of hiding arms or ammunition. Some even hide them in pit toilets.”
McDonald made it clear that the security services are not targeting Buxton and excluding other areas where arms and ammunitions are said to be stored. This was the suggestion of some media representatives and the police head said that, the security services as long as they have information are prepared to and have been conducting operations in all parts of the country, whether it was Enmore, Buxton, Beteverwagting or Plaisance.
Speaking on the idea of a limited curfew, as some have suggested for parts of the East Coast, Collins said the situation is not static and is evolving as the days go by. “Every method, that is the joint services method of operation that the joint services can use, every option is being considered. Limited curfew is one, and limited curfew is one that can be considered for a particular geographic state, particular village for a particular time. At this time we share the view of the Secretary of the Defence Board (Dr Roger Luncheon) based on our advice that at this time it is not necessary,” he said.
There have been concerns that the security forces have been restricted by government or other agencies from “taking the bull by the horn” in the fight against crime. Mc Donald said that he is not aware of any restriction as they are allowed to conduct their activities without hindrance from anyone. “I admit....that we are still getting incidents of crimes in the country but we need to understand the nature of the crime, years ago criminals didn’t have motor cars to jump into. There is a better number of vehicles at the disposal of the criminals, the road net work was not as advanced as it is now and the use of cellular telephones has proven to be very detrimental to law enforcement,” he said. The acting commissioner said that those are just some of issues that are affecting their operations.
On the issue of why the police had focused so much attention on Buxton, Mc Donald said, “Law enforcement deals with two phases, one prevention and detection. Our experience has shown that that corridor along the Buxton Public Road, about half a mile, is susceptible to criminal activities, hence the need for constant presence on that road.
What happens, is that young men travels in gangs of threes and fours, stop vehicles, one may appear to be a passenger and he enters the vehicle and others join and rob commuters.”