Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee has directed the Police Commissioner Henry Greene to take strong action against all police ranks involved in the two recent cases of misconduct, including the attempted rape of female juvenile while in custody.
In a strongly-worded statement issued yesterday, the Home Ministry registered its “grave concern” over incidents at the Springlands Police Station and at Police Headquarters, where sexual abuse allegations have been made against policemen. “The Ministry frowns on such reckless conduct of members of the force, who swore to serve and protect,” it said, adding that it is “appalled” at the reports after the recent case on the West Demerara, where policemen are alleged to have tortured three prisoners, including a teen boy. “It is expected that the investigation will also look at the issue of supervision of the ranks, involved in the incidents,” The Ministry added.
The first incident occurred at the Springlands Police Station, where a teen girl was held for wandering on November 21. Later two Police Constables attempted to have sex with the young woman against her will. It was further reported that during the night, a young man, said to be a civilian subordinate employee with access to the station, had sex with the young woman.
Police on Wednesday said a member of a community policing group who allegedly raped a teenage girl as well as the two lawmen who reportedly tried to entice the girl to have sex with them were arrested.
Stabroek News was told the community policing group member has admitted guilt to investigators, while the two policemen are maintaining their innocence. All three remain in custody.
The Guyana Police Force’s Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating the case. Police gave the date of the attack as October 21, 2009, and said the allegations against the policemen and the community police group member were only made when the girl was arraigned a month later on wandering charges.
According to police, while on a bench in the Enquiries Office at the Springlands Police Station, the girl was induced by two Police Constables, one after the other, who tried to entice her into having sex. She claimed that the inducements occurred at the Traffic Office and the Domestic Violence Office at the station.
However, she managed to get free and returned to the Enquiries Office, the police said. The girl further alleged that later that night she was approached by a male juvenile, who had allegedly gone to the station while patrolling with the Community Policing Group, and he enticed her into the Witness Room where he had sex with her against her will.
Meanwhile, the second incident occurred in a building at the Police Headquarters compound, on November 22, when a police corporal is alleged to have arrested a man for robbery, and detained him at a Mobile Outpost. It is reported that this rank subsequently went to the man’s residence, took his reputed wife to the Headquarters under the pretence of taking her to see her husband and then allegedly attempted to rape her.
Both matters are being actively investigated.