In a statement, he said the comments made on the Tuesday edition of the programme, however, "do deserve a response in the interest of accuracy and fairness."

"Mr. Granger is much more than an ex-military officer. This is reflected in his notoriously biased opinions on the crime situation in the country", Persaud said.

He said Granger was in fact at one time the National Security Advisor to the late leader of the People's National Congress, Mr. Hugh Desmond Hoyte and his opinions have never concealed his personal admiration and attachment for the opposition PNC Reform (PNC/R).

"It was the very Mr. Granger, who now identifies Buxton as the `epicentre' of crime, who had urged the Army to pull out from its duties within the village, a view that was also the subject of the PNC/R's discussion with the Army's top brass", the official said.

He said that in his statement to the BBC Caribbean Report, Granger claimed that the attacks on law officers "...is a specific response on the part of some people in the Buxton village particularly to the killings of young Afro Guyanese by the Police."

He said a report by the Guyana Human Rights Association, "a body that is far from sympathetic to the government", titled: `AMBIVALENT ABOUT VIOLENCE: A Report on Fatal Shootings by the Police in Guyana -1980-2001' concluded: "The information available does not justify sufficiently charges of racial profiling of Afro-Guyanese with respect to shootings or Indo-Guyanese with respect to deaths in custody." The same GHRA report revealed that over a corresponding period there were more police-related deaths during the former regime than under the current administration, Persaud said.

"It is infra dignitatem for anyone to justify the slaying of law enforcers, many of whom are Afro-Guyanese. It is equally absurd for Mr. Granger to surmise that the spree of shootings against Police Officers is in retaliation for alleged Police excesses.

"From the very first day of the year, Police Officers have been deliberately targetted and ambushed by criminal elements", he said.

He claimed Granger "conveniently ignores the fact that when there are questions about Police conduct, citizens can and have sought redress through several institutionalised mechanisms, which includes a Coroner's Inquest."

"The Police Force's Office of Professional Responsibility and Conduct is vibrant and the independent Police Complaints Authority is functioning. It is a known fact that the Government has made it clear that misconduct and unprofessional behaviour will not be condoned", Persaud said.

He said Granger strangely did not proffer an explanation for the other innocent victims of the banditry who were neither law enforcers nor were in any way connected to the Guyana Police Force.

"He also omitted to mention the frequent criminal assaults on communities bordering Buxton, which have caused an increase in the Army and the Police presence in that area and the establishment of a safe corridor for commuters passing through."

"This type of jaundiced explanation offered by Mr. Granger is inexcusable and shows insensitivity to the victims, but conforms fully with the position adopted by the party Granger supports", Persaud argued.

He said it was important to recall that the anti-Police campaign was politically authored. This campaign reached its peak immediately after the February 23, 2002 escape of five notorious criminals (three of whom have been apprehended), he noted.

"In the ensuing weeks after the jailbreak, it was discovered how well organised these criminals were and the extent of political coverage they received, he said.

Persaud pointed out that Buxton, which has a relatively dense population and an expansive backland, became a criminal safe-haven. Criminals from other parts of the country, including deportees gravitated to the community, he said, adding that the area has been used as a staging point for organised banditry and cold-blooded murders of law officers and civilians.

"The entire community has been held hostage and given a bad name. Some residents have already fled from the criminals in that area.

"The case of members of the Chester family, who were nearly burnt alive in their home after a member of the household exposed a criminal act, stands out. Mr. Granger, too, ignored this aspect, in his `analysis'", he said.

"The rationalisation of banditry and murder by the likes of Mr. Granger only emboldens the criminals. The clear objective of the campaign of violence against members of the security forces is to demoralise and weaken the resolve of the ranks in the forefront of the fight against crime", Persaud said.