It is, in a way, unforgiveable and unprofessional to pen these brief notes on abduction or kidnapping without a copy of the existing legislation on the offence at hand.

However, because I wanted to record these “three-dimensional” thoughts on abduction, in the wake of the most recent kidnap of the young East Coast, Demerara man, I rush to print.

The current legislation was necessitated, of course, by the first phase of the heinous phenomenon which was just one element of the criminal enterprise unleashed by the Republic Day 2002 jail break. Like any example of a new law, it seeks to define abduction - this illegal, unwanted carrying away of a person by force or fraud - and to spell out the various offences under the Act, along with their penalties. Naturally, the law has to be foolproof in terms of lessening opportunities for advocates of the accused to assist them to evade penalties. It even defines “ransom”, “hostage”, “restraint” and other such “kidnap” situations. I’ll return to the legislation next time, but it is good to know that it is there in its appropriately - aggressive form. The only regret so far, for me, is that our kidnappers are not being caught often enough to be prosecuted under its provisions. How deterrent is it?

The second perspective or dimension of this crime is the crisis suffered by the family, the close relations of the kidnapped victim. Surprise, shock, outrage, fear, trauma are the awesome emotions they have to experience if the hostage was held in some regard or esteem by them. What are the sensible desirable behaviours to be displayed by family members in such situations? Does our Police Anti-Kidnapping Unit provide such advice? But could relatives be expected to be rational then?

Consider how you would react if your daughter, son, mother or fiancé is abducted. It has to be a tough call which, however, demands cool, calm, collective and level-headed responses - however, difficult those are to come by in those situations of stress and trauma. I feel that whenever people decide to pay kidnappers, it must be done with a view to ensnaring the crooks and bandits. Sounds silly or risky? Yes it’s bound to be, but to me that’s always the best available opportunity to trap the vile perpetrators. How it’s to be done is another matter. I’m sure the police will tell us that, for reasons obvious to the families, little co-operation is forthcoming in this regard. After all, relatives merely - and only - want their loved ones back unharmed. The bandits can be free to go and repeat their crime. Enriched and unmolested.

The third primary element in the mix, of course, is the Police - its capabilities, experience and expertise. How does the Force go about gathering facts? How pre-emptive is it? I hope Divisional Police Stations, for example, have layouts of village locations - possible hideouts, anticipated knowledge of modes of transportation which could be utilised by bandits; the bandits’ possible support systems? I know the police would need all the public support it could get in these situations. But how hi-tech are our poor investigators? Elsewhere the police can trace the location of the crooks through microscopic devices in the ransom notes or package. It could be known whether the cell-phone caller-crook is really in Buxton and not actually Agricola or Non-Pariel or North-East La Penitence. But I doubt whether we are ready for all that. Hey! I hope I’m wrong!

On Wednesday a detailed account given by the Force with respect to the current kidnap, was published in the Stabroek. I appreciated the assistance - or lack of it - the cops get from the families and others. I also appreciate the footnote to the released update when it reports that “from the time of the report of the kidnapping... several other activities inherent to law enforcement have been conducted, but due to their nature, information cannot be divulged.”

However, I wish to see my Anti-Kidnapping Unit issuing some pointed guidelines for persons affected by hijacks and abductions; for victims and for witnesses. A friend wondered this week whether we couldn’t engage some experienced retired overseas anti-kidnap experts to spend time here, besides the one-off exposure for our investigators abroad.

Naturally, in the long run, it’s all up to us, the people, the potential victims. We must educate ourselves, be vigilant and take precautions. It is inappropriate to be light-hearted about this but one basic fact to consider is that our kidnappers really want ransoms - money. They perhaps study just who they’ll abduct for cash, when not forcibly taking and restraining young persons for sick sexual pleasures. Why then do they sometimes pick on poor people’s relatives? The perception of wealth or of funds recently acquired by the victims? (They would hardly choose me! For they’ll have to kill or release me for nothing. I, or any one close to me, just do not have the type of ransom “desireable”. Mean-while, support the Anti-Kidnap Squad. If always silently.

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That book...

Not really my penchant to jump into rancorous debates but I have to make an exception to record one brief agreement against a brief background.

I once watched Kean Gibson play lawn tennis. She “followed” the late Althea Gibson and “preceded” the Williams Sisters. Great stuff. I also studied her work on Guyanese slang and on Kwe-Kwe rituals. Now she spoils my admiration by generalising on a whole race and religion with unfortunate conclusions. I sensed her errors - and purpose - when she explained her theories and “findings” to the willing, receptive teleactivist.

Now I’m hardly a fan of the UG “commentator on all things intellectual” but I’m forced to agree with his lines and sentiments recently. In case you missed it, the provocative academic of three universities wrote, inter alia, “...but to deny the pain and brutality heaped upon innocent citizens because of their ethnic make-up is offensive when coming from the halls of academia. She is guilty of turning the victim into the criminal and transforming the criminal into an innocent oppressed being.” I have to agree.

I did read another letter in the Stabroek which exhorted Indo-Guyanese to indulge in serious introspection. They were asked, by an Indo-Guyanese to examine their historical behaviours, their contemporary life-styles and relationships to others etc... To me, frankly speaking, while there might not be any one guilty race, there is certainly lots of guilt to be shared!

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Until...

1) Stop reading me if you’re upset about my Buxton chickens not coming home (to this column) to roost.

2) Also postponed - The Comfort Zone of the US Visa.

3) Recycling!? Couldn’t you be “fresher” Civic? At the GBC, UG or Guysuco! Recycling skills and abilities? Or just favoured personalities?

4) The achar bottle broke! Ever arrived at the New York JFK Airport and experienced someone’s achar, casareep or curry container breaking?

5) Getting Guns! Will they be convicted, those arrested and put on bail? Where did those come from? Poor us... `Til next week! (