Police are probing allegations that a policeman’s car knocked down a child and the police, at the station to which he is attached, refused to take a complaint. The father of the injured child also alleged that he has been getting death threats and fears for his life.
The hit-and-run incident allegedly occurred near the Golden Grove /Diamond police station on the East Bank Demerara and involved a heavily dark-tinted white Toyota Allion car.
Stabroek News visited the Grove/Diamond police station yesterday morning but was told that the officer in charge was not present. Efforts to contact the officer in charge proved futile.
A senior police officer told Stabroek News yesterday that the Guyana Police Force is aware of the incident and would not condone lawlessness as such an investigation team has been designated to look into the matter.
Although the senior officer believes that the policeman against whom the allegations were made and the complainant might have had previous differences and that the current allegations might be stemming from an ongoing feud, a probe would be launched into all aspects of the allegations to ascertain if what the man is alleging is indeed the truth. The allegations protocol requires the police to conduct impartial and detailed investigations and the senior officer says this protocol will be followed.
Ricky Ramdhanni told Stabroek News that his 11-year-old daughter, Alesha, was struck down shortly after 4.30 pm last Wednesday, a short distance from the police station. His daughter was riding to the nearby shop, to purchase bread for dinner, at the time of the accident.
The 36-year-old father of four believes that the car is owned or connected to the station sergeant. “I live just behind the station so I see the daily operations there,” he said. “I know that vehicle and it is seen in that compound very very often. I saw the car with my own two eyes and I know that Allion. The police will not allow that heavily tinted vehicle to be in and out of that station if it was not one of their own or if it wasn’t someone they knew well.”
After picking up his injured daughter, the man said he made a telephone call to the station and urged the police to intercept the car that had just left the station and was leaving Diamond via the sole vehicular entrance and exit. He also suggested that the police retrieve information on the car from the many surveillance cameras positioned at the station.
The policeman told Ramdhanni that there was no traffic officer present even as he looked across at the station and saw a traffic rank inspecting a vehicle while on his cellular phone. The man said he called again and his plea for help was met with “the constable blamming the phone down on me saying I am a cross.”
The father said he then took his daughter to the police station where the said traffic officer gave him a medical form and requested that he go to the East Bank Demerara Regional Hospital at Diamond to have the child examined and the documented filled; a process which he followed.
He then went to the Providence Police Station where he gave a statement on the incident since he was no longer confident of getting assistance should he return to the Grove/Diamond precinct.
Ramdhanni further informed that on Thursday around 11.30 am, he saw the car speed into the Diamond Police Station compound but before he could reach around the corner, it exited.
The man claimed too that he has received numerous threats from a known cell phone number that he believes is associated with a police officer attached to that station. The threats include “leave the *#@$% story alone if you know what good for you.”
He further stated that on Friday morning, he woke up to find a five-gallon pail of diesel in front of his yard and is now living in fear of his life.
The threats coupled with the diesel in his yard prompted him to visit the Ministry of Home Affairs where personnel recommended he pay a visit to acting Commissioner of Police Leroy Brummel.
The acting commissioner referred him to Commander of ‘A’ Division George Vyphuis, who was busy at the time of his arrival and he was subsequently sent to Commander of ‘C’ Division Vanderhyden. Rhamdhani said he did as was recommended but is left wondering if he will be given justice.
