More Buxtonians reporting crimes - army report
Criminals no longer roaming village freely
Stabroek News
October 14, 2002
More Buxtonians are reporting incidents of crime to police and criminals no longer roam the village openly carrying weapons, the army’s Defence Headquarters has noted in a recent report defending its presence there.
The report, seen by Stabroek News, says in the ongoing spate of violent criminal activities over the last seven months, this new willingness of residents to speak out against criminal activities is seen as a major success for the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
The operations of the two forces in the East Coast Demerara communities have also brought on a marked reduction of fear in those communities, the report concluded.
Notwithstanding that two Berbicians were recently gunned down while driving through Buxton, the report suggests that there has been a reduction of tension in the community, as well as reduced attacks on persons entering the village.
“The disappearance of known criminals who reportedly once roamed the village with weapons displayed, reduction of narcotics use and trafficking [as well as] the resolve of the police to now venture into areas south of the public road in Buxton,” are some of the other successes of the joint operation.
However, the military forces are facing some challenges. According to the report, some members of the East Coast communities are still reluctant to expose or identify offenders, for fear of reprisals.
“Inability to positively identify criminal offenders based on their recent engagement in this type of activity, insufficiency of the data base...the existence and use of alarm schemes that warn of the approach of security personnel, the employment of `watchers’ who report on activities of security forces and possess [cell phones],” were among the challenges listed.
Prior to the return of police patrols to Buxton less than a month ago, the army patrols were precluded from conducting searches which could have earlier proved or disproved the presence of criminals in the area.
But since Operation Tourniquet, army sources pointed out, some confidence has been restored in the police force and ranks are now able to join the army patrols in Buxton.
Operation Tourniquet was conceived primarily to “forge an alliance with law abiding citizens, to sustain patrolling and other military activities such as road blocks in the Buxton area in order to alienate those bent on breaking the law.”
Further, despite condemnation by certain sections, the army is maintaining that there is nothing untoward about its involvement in supporting the Guyana Police Force.
It said that the relationship can be traced back to 1969 when armed secessionists, albeit with overt support from a foreign nation, staged an insurrection in the Rupununi.
“The murder of [a] policeman at Lethem and the breakdown of law and order necessitated the deployment of the GDF to that area to support the police in the restoration of peace and normalcy. Since then, the GDF has acted in response to several requests to support the police in coastal localities.”
The army said, although it is obliged to aid the police force the assistance is not automatic, but rather based on a formalised request. Also, the military commander has to first determine that the police lack the resources or are otherwise incapable of responding in an effective manner.
According to the report, Standard Operating Procedures authorise GDF detachment commanders to act on their own initiative “when no police are present and it is clear that intervention is absolutely essential to prevent disorders; or when the police are clearly seen to be present, but have insufficient numbers to deal with the situation; or in self defence” among other reasons.