Pirate-besieged fishermen of Berbice have criticised the Albion and New Amsterdam police for not acting on reports of frequent attacks. They also suggested that a Coast Guard outpost be set up in Berbice.
These comments were made on Thursday when Minister of Agriculture Satyadeow Sawh visited the fishermen whose boats were attacked and stripped of their engines and nets.
According to a press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA), the minister's visit was as a result of the attacks which occurred early Saturday morning at the mouth of the Berbice River. GINA said from all indications the pirates are Guyanese who sometimes assume Dutch accents. This newspaper was told that the men are former and current fishermen operating from bases around the country including Number 64 Village, Mahaica and Waini Point.
GINA said at the meeting with the minister the fishermen requested that there be inter-agency cooperation among the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard, the Berbice Anti-Smuggling Squad, the Customs and Trade Administration and the Ministry of Fisheries, Other Crops and Livestock. The fishermen also suggested that the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) ensure that serial numbers of imported engines comply with requisite standards, that emergency telephone numbers are available at all fishermen's co-op societies and that a subsidy system be in place to compensate fishermen who were robbed.
Sawh told the fishermen that one of their biggest needs is fast, effective communication and action by the relevant authorities.
He recommended that the police make available at all fishing ports a list of telephone numbers of senior officers.
GINA said President Bharrat Jagdeo, during a recent visit to Berbice, had instructed the Coast Guard to set up a permanent base in Berbice.
Coast Guard Commander Terrence Pyle recently told Stabroek News that the unit was lacking in both physical and human resources. Pyle said there were several other rivers which they had to patrol and as such, ranks could not always be in the Berbice River.
Sawh also recommended that a follow-up meeting be held between the fishermen and the Coast Guard to decide on the best location for a base.
He said a system of compensation is currently in place to assist fishermen who lose engines and nets. This system, he said, ensured that seized engines are sold at a reasonable cost to affected fishermen.
Sawh also told the fishermen that duty-free concessions are available on engines of less than 75 horsepower. While the police have not been able to identify the culprits, Sawh said the lawmen suspect that several local people who are familiar with the fishermen's routine are involved in the attack.
Fishermen can contact the operations division of the police at "B" Division on telephone numbers 333-2153 and 333-2151. Among those who attended the meeting with the minister were police officers who took statements from fishermen.