Most villagers approve of Buxton operation
-army and police officials
Stabroek News
May 28, 2003
The police and army yesterday continued intensified anti-crime operations in the Buxton/Friendship community in an effort to restore law and order, even as a few villagers remain loyal to the bandits, senior police and army sources have said.
And although the tempo of the operations increases, the security forces are expressing confidence in their relationship with villagers.
“It is evident from the reaction and responses of the Buxtonians during our operations that we don’t feel that the relationship was damaged...We don’t know that anything was done to terribly damage that relationship. There are a few people who are trying to manipulate a situation and that is why the security forces are recording all the cordon and search exercises,” a senior army source said yesterday.
Allegations reaching Stabroek News state that on the day that members of the PNCR visited the village, someone had smashed some items near a stall and then claimed that the security forces were trashing valuables while conducting the anti-crime operations.
“People are talking to us...we still enjoy a very good relationship with the villagers,” a senior army rank stated.
The police said their relationship with the villagers had improved and they were “trying to extend the olive branch to get a good relationship between the [villagers] and the security forces”. However, according to a senior law enforcer, there are a few Buxtonians who are still “patriotic” to the bandits. But they were just a “limited amount,” the officer stated.
“The response is different. People are talking to the police now and that never used to happen,” the source said, although admitting that there was still some fear of reprisals by the criminals, among the villagers.
Over the last two weeks, there have been a number of operations resulting in the first successful rescue of a kidnapped businessman. One soldier was shot dead in an early morning confrontation with gunmen two Thursdays ago and ever since there have been intense operations. Numerous houses were searched and residents arrested, some of whom were charged with minor offences.
Relations between the villagers and the police reached a new low following the April 6, 2002 shooting death of Buxtonian Shaka Blair.
