– at hastily called community meeting
By Tiffny Rhodius
Frustrated residents of Bartica yesterday shared stories of harassment, brutality and lack of investigation by the police at Bartica with top officials of the Guyana Police Force at a community meeting held at the Third Avenue Pavilion.
The meeting, which was advertised earlier in the day, was held following the attack by a policeman on a well-known Bartician and businessman, Winston Miller.
Acting Commander of E and F Division Deryck Younge, Senior Superinten-dent of the Tactical Services Unit Colin West, Officer in Charge of the number two sub division O Fraser, Officer in Charge of Crime Ramraj and Public Relations Officer Ivelaw Whittaker were present to note the complaints of residents.
Many of those present at the meeting alleged corruption by the police who are posted at the Bartica police station. Stories abounded of police victimisation, harassment and brutality and there was unanimous condemnation of the treatment of Miller by the police.
One resident, Delano Downer, said the attack on Miller by a police officer was “total disrespect to a senior citizen”. He went on to say “we are really behind Miller”, which statement the crowd cheered with claps and exclamations of “yeah!”
Though the investigation has not yet been completed or the officer charged, Downer asked for a special prosecutor in the case, stating that the police “will side with their own”.
Miller had called for the dismissal of the officer who had perpetrated the act, saying he believed that if transferred, the officer will commit the same act elsewhere. Again the crowd supported this suggestion with cheers.
In response, Commander Younge pointed out that the officer was being transferred to facilitate an investigation and if he is found culpable then advice will be sought from the Director of Public Prosecutions on the way forward.
West, in response to the call for a special prosecutor if the matter is to go that far, said that was not under the police’s control. He added that he believed in fairness and wanted to ensure that persons with similar complaints came forward.
Last Saturday night, Miller and others were allegedly brutalised by ranks after a cadet officer dressed in plain clothes tried to “pope” a show at Miller’s night club. The person manning the door informed him that he had to pay the $1,000 entrance fee like everyone else.
Meanwhile, Judith Blair, a Member of Parliament, told the police that “Bartica is on the spoiling line of lawlessness”. Blair said she blamed local businesses for the lawlessness noting that there were no extracurricular activities for young people. “The only activity young people have is the night action,” she said, such as Miller’s establishment, which she pointed out was listed as a noise nuisance.
Beaten up by the police
Many of the residents who gathered yesterday voiced their frustration at the police brutality. One woman, Magnel Washington alleged that her son was shot at, framed and beaten up by the police.
She shared that her son is now in prison with malaria and nothing has been done since he was remanded. “It ain’t right! They gun butt me son and jump pun he with they big boots,” she cried.
Another resident alleged that her son was also abused by the police. She too said that the police had planted drugs on her son and beat him up. According to many of those present, the police are known for picking up young males and “beating them up”.
The residents said they were fed up and police officials replied that they would investigate. However, one resident shared that whenever someone made a complaint at the station, the police would call the person who the complaint was made against and inform them of who complained on them.
There were also complaints of noise nuisance caused by vehicles and a call for more traffic ranks in the community and more patrols especially at the night. Then there were those calling for something to be done about the Bartica Arcade where many persons loiter and reports of drug use are many.
Neighbourhood Democratic Council Chairman Jerry Joseph said police need to do more. He said the police would raid the area and pick up persons only to release them the next day.
During many of the complaints, the police officials promised the residents that the matters will be looked into but called for cooperation between the police and citizens.
West pointed out that there were many officers who had been prosecuted for doing things that were not part of the job description and urged persons to come forward with information they had.
Meanwhile, Regional Chairman Holbert Knights, in closing remarks expressed shock at what was said and called for more police community meetings.
As regards the Miller incident, Knights said that the police had no right to lay a finger on Miller and urged a quick and transparent investigation.
The short notice for the meeting resulted in just over 100 persons attending but many called for this to be done on a regular basis.
