Michelle Baldeo, whose Bougainvillea Park, East Bank Demerara house was on Monday mistakenly searched by police, yesterday said that she will not be accepting an apology and would like all the damage done to her house fixed and missing items replaced.
Even as she made this statement, Crime Chief Seelall Persaud told Stabroek News that search warrants are routinely executed by ranks.
Persaud that he would not know about all the searches that are carried out and said that he would not be finding out the details of the East Bank incident.
When asked if the police are authorized to conduct searches when occupants are not at home, he responding by saying that “We execute search warrants routinely all across the country…If there is a complaint the person can go to the police or the complaints authority”.
It is still unclear why the ranks searched the Lot 34 address.
Baldeo yesterday said that she would allow senior police officials to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and said that she has sought the services of a lawyer.
“I intend not to sit on this because it will happen a second time. I cannot accept a sorry from them (the policemen involved). How can you come and search my house when nobody is there? They had no search warrant and no one was there”, the upset mother of one said.
She pointed out that she has no problem with the police searching her home but “it should have been done in the right way”.
Baldeo said she met with ‘A’ Division Commander George Vyphuis at his Brickdam Police Station office yesterday morning and was very impressed with the professionalism he displayed when listening to her complaint. He later told her to give a statement, which was taken by a very polite policewoman, Baldeo said.
“I am very pleased with the way he spoke to me. I don’t know how much more like that we can get”, she added.
Baldeo said that Vyphuis has assured her that an investigation will be conducted into the matter.
She told this newspaper of the fright she endured while trying to sleep in her home on Monday night adding that at the end of the search her house was in disarray and door locks were damaged. She added that she was forced to sleep with her son, owing to the state of her room and bed which had a boot print on the sheet.
“I want them to get my house back in order!”, she noted saying that items including a watch and a pair of diamond earrings are missing.
Asked if she is prepared to accept an apology from the ranks, Baldeo replied in the negative stressing that she fears it could happen again if she does that. She questioned if police ranks who are supposed to be the upholders of the laws of Guyana actually know the laws.
Around 10:30 am two vanloads of policemen surrounded the home. Ranks cut open the mosquito mesh and removed several louvre panes to gain entry into the building.
The doors to the house were also broken, cupboard doors were wide open and a piece of grill material from the front door was cut. Police later turned their attention to the house opposite and arrested two men. The men were taken away from the area but were subsequently released.
Baldeo had told this newspaper she was at the hospital with her sick three-year-old son when a neighbour called to inform her of the police presence.
When she arrived home, she saw police officers standing in front of her home with guns at the ready, while their colleagues were searching her neighbour’s home (opposite). She had told this newspaper that the lawmen told her to “remain calm” but she was shaking, and was in a state of shock at the officers’ actions.
