‘Night sun’ still to shine in crime fight
The much vaunted `night sun’ of the army’s Bell 206 helicopters is still to light up the crime fight but Defence Board Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon says the choppers were instrumental in tracking down Guyana’s most wanted.
Though he said he could not get into detail for national security reasons, Luncheon told Stabroek News recently that as secretary to the Defence Board, “I can say that their contribution has been instrumental, but I will not disclose further”.
On August 28, when wanted men Rondell `Fineman’ Rawlins and Jermaine `Skinny’ Charles were killed the helicopters were spotted overhead during the operation and servicemen were transported and inserted at particular spots during the tracking exercise.
Meanwhile Luncheon admitted that the `night sun’, an important feature of the helicopter which allows it to illuminate areas at night, has not been used. He said that the crimes which the joint services have been fighting did not require the use of the `night sun’.
The army’s choice of chopper had generated much debate. However the force had maintained that it was comfortable with the choice.
Many had questioned the usefulness of the choppers since there had been many criminal activities without the choppers being deployed.
One recent case in point was a police operation aback of North Ruimveldt on July 15 where police later stated that Charles was their target.
Sources had told Stabroek News that suspicious elements were seen in the community of North Ruimveldt. The lawmen were engaged in a shoot-out with the wanted men for abut 15 minutes and thereafter maintained a cordon. The area was pitch black and after two hours backup arrived and the lawmen were forced to reverse vehicles which provided some light for a team to venture into the area. This, critics pointed out, would have been the perfect opportunity for the `night sun’. The lawmen came out empty handed and nothing was heard officially about the operation until Commissioner of Police, Henry Greene commented to the media corps, a day after.
However a military source explained that because of the limitations of the Bell 206’s night flying capacity, such a venture would have been impossible even with the `night sun’. The source, who is an experienced pilot, told Stabroek News that balancing the Bell 206 under such conditions was somewhat difficult and insisted that such a job would be done better with the Bell 412 helicopter which is not utilized as much by the army due to its high operational costs.
Further the source said that flying a Bell 206 at night without enough ground lighting could present enormous challenges for its pilot.
The source also pointed out that there may be some positioning issues with the current `night sun’. This newspaper was also told that the `night sun’ would be better suited if installed on the Bell 412 chopper since this craft had far less limitations for night flying.
The May 14 killing of 22-year-old Arjune Singh, who was gunned down while at a police checkpoint on Middle-ton Street, Campbellville, and subsequent reports of gunfire in several parts of the city, the shots fired from outside the Water Chris Hotel and restaurant followed by the channa-bombing at the Ministry of Culture, many believe, were opportunities for the helicopters to have been pressed into service. However they were not deployed in any of these instances.
The question of exactly when and what determines the deployment of the choppers was asked but a military source had told this newspaper that their deployment would have to be based on careful assessment and reliable intelligence.
The source had said too that while the helicopters were a vital element in crime fighting, they would come into play when there was active and reliable intelligence and where immediate communication could be had with ground troops who would then be guided by those overhead.
Government had sped up the approval for the army to acquire the choppers following the Bartica and Lusignan killings. The source explained that the work of the helicopters was not to transport troops but in the case of emergencies they could transport an advance team to a particular location where criminals may be hiding out. “The role of the helicopter is to pick up activities on the ground and then notify ground troops. If by chance there is specific information like, let’s say, a white car believed to be proceeding along a specific street, we can trace it and keep tabs while troops are on the ground, and we advise of any changes of route and so on. But it cannot fetch troops,” the source had explained.
The source insisted too that the helicopters are used in many countries for the same purpose and will benefit Guyana; “but their role has to be understood.”
