The Guyana Police Force (GPF) says that no political directive was given to any of its officers or ranks to fire tear gas or shoot persons taking part in a march last Thursday as alleged by PNCR Leader Robert Corbin.
The PNCR Leader had made the allegation in the wake of a report in the last edition of the Sunday Stabroek which said that two senior police officers had been transferred to the interior for failing to prevent PNCR marchers from changing their approved route.
Police in a statement yesterday said that the transfer is in keeping with the effective management of the force and was not linked to their “failing to carry out a political directive”.
The GPF was responding to an article published in yesterday’s edition of the Kaieteur News which contained the allegations made by the PNCR.
The PNCR condemned the “unprecedented and unilateral transfer of two senior police officers to the interior by the Jagdeo Administration, allegedly, because they refused to shoot PNCR demonstrators last Thursday as ordered by the political administration”.
The party said that it was reliably informed that the transfers came as disciplinary action for failing to carry out a political directive, adding that this is a grave development which could have serious repercussions for the morale and discipline in the GPF, as well as peace, order and good governance of Guyana.
The PNCR release said that it appeared as though government wanted to create chaos in order to discredit the opposition and therefore “ordered police officers to fire tear gas and shoot bullets into the crowd”.
“It is understood that the Police Officers, using their on the spot assessment of the situation, recognized that there was no necessity for any such action. In the circumstances, they acted as professional officers observing the law and the Constitution. The (government) plot backfired”, the release said.
The party stressed that the demonstration was peaceful and there were no complaints about any threat as a consequence of the behaviour of any participant in the demonstration.
Discredit
The police labelled the statements made by the PNCR in the Kaieteur News article as “very unfortunate and misleading and can only be considered as aimed at demoralizing the hard working police ranks and to discredit the force”.
According to the statement, the Force was at no time during the march given any “political directive by the ruling political establishment”, to fire tear gas at or shoot persons taking part in the march.
Further the release said that Force in a previous statement expressed its disappointment with the conduct of Corbin and members and supporters of his party and had also emphasized the fact that the police exercised great restraint in dealing with the demonstrators after they pushed down barriers and proceeded unlawfully along a route not approved by the Divisional Commander.
“The Police Force also states that in the effective management of the Force the police administration has recently posted a number of senior and middle management ranks to key areas of the force. The transfers of the Assistant Superintendent and Inspector referred to by Corbin, were in keeping with this thrust and were in no way linked to their failing to carry out a political directive and should not be misconstrued”, the release added.
Word of the transferal reached Stabroek News last Saturday. Several police sources told this newspaper that the decision to transfer the two officers to Mabaruma and Kamarang respectively came following a high level meeting on Friday.
Sources said that this was a form of disciplinary action against the two officers who were accused by their superiors of failing to take action which could have prevented PNCR protestors on Thursday from altering their approved route.
Concoct
Meanwhile, speaking to the media following the swearing in ceremony for the new Police Service Commis-sion Chairman, Dennis Morgan, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee lashed out at the statements made by PNCR labelling them as “irresponsible”.
He also challenged Corbin and his party to provide the police and the Ministry of Home Affairs with information which indicated that instructions were given to ranks to shoot into the crowd.
“Let him (Corbin) make this information public or publish it in the media. If he doesn’t then again it will be seen as an irresponsible and inflammatory statement”, the Minister said, adding that “I can’t see how anyone in their proper senses would just shoot into a crowd like that”. The minister said too that he could not understand how Corbin could concoct a scenario like this without credible information.
Responding to questions from the media on the transferals, Rohee said that he could not say what happens in the police force, but the police received instructions that the barriers should not be breached and that the protestors should be kept within the designated routes.
He added that “The police must have had a wash up exercise and after consideration probably the officers who were found culpable were identified. The Minister of Home Affairs does not pick up a phone and say pick him or her up. I have other things to do”.
He said too that the police have their own way of dealing with these issues and as such they must have made a decision. Rohee also said that he felt that police would clarify the issues once they found it necessary.About one hour after Rohee spoke to the media, a police release on the very issues that the Minister spoke of arrived.
The police labeled the statements made by the PNCR in the Kaieteu News article as “very unfortunate and misleading and can only be considered as aimed at demoralizing the hard working police ranks and to discredit the force”.
According to the statement, the Force was at no time during the march given any “political directive by the ruling political establishment”, to fire tear gas at or shoot persons taking part in the march.
Further the release said that Force in a previous statement expressed its disappointment with the conduct of Corbin and members and supporters of his party and had also emphasized the fact that the police exercised great restraint in dealing with the demonstrators after they pushed down barriers and proceeded unlawfully along a route not approved by the Divisional Commander.
“The Police Force also states that in the effective management of the Force the police administration has recently posted a number of senior and middle management ranks to key areas of the force. The transfers of the Assistant Superintendent and Inspector referred to be Corbin, were in keeping with this thrust and were in no way linked to their failing to carry out a political directive and should not be misconstrued”, the release added.
Word of the transferal reached Stabroek News last Saturday. Several police sources told this newspaper that the decision to transfer the two officers to Mabaruma and Kamarang respectively came following a high level meeting on Friday.
Sources said that this was a form of disciplinary action again the two officers who were accused by his superiors of failing to take action which could have prevented PNCR protestors on Thursday from altering their approved route.
