Dear Editor,
The Guyana Police Force is responding to an article published in the Stabroek News on Wednesday July 18, 2012, under the caption ‘Surinamese man says he was harassed by corrupt Guyanese cops.‘
In the article which was extracted from a publication of the Surinamese newspaper De Ware Tijd on July 17, 2012, Surinamese national Roland Vervuurt alleges that during two visits to Guyana he was stopped six times and harassed by policemen who detained him at a police station four times and demanded money from him to forego charges for traffic violations. He also said that on the last occasion his motor vehicle was seized after it was claimed that his driver’s licence was not valid and money was demanded for its release.
Roland Vervuurt further alleged that he refused to give in to the demands for a bribe and on one occasion he was placed before the court in Berbice, but on his appearance at the court on Tuesday July 10, 2012, there was no file on the matter which involved his driver’s licence not being valid to drive in Guyana.
The Guyana Police Force wishes to state that investigations were conducted into the allegations made by Roland Vervuurt and no records were found to substantiate his claims of being detained at a police station on four occasions, his motor car being seized and his being placed before the court on a traffic breach.
According to the article Roland Vervuurt had made a report of what transpired to the Surinamese Embassy in Georgetown, and it is regrettable that this complaint was not brought to the attention of the Police Force through the relevant government ministry in order that a more in-depth investigation could have been carried out while he was in the country.
The Guyana Police Force is a disciplined and professional organisation which has laid down Standard Operation Procedures to be followed by ranks when dealing with traffic violations and criminal offences in general. There are also SOPs to be adhered to when dealing with foreign nationals who may be in breach of the country’s laws, which include the recording of such incidents in specific record books and databases. In this instance no such records were traced.
The Guyana Police Force also wishes to express its concern about unsubstantiated and unsupported claims made in the article that “Surinamese drivers are often harassed by corrupt Guyanese policemen, and they gladly pay out of ignorance or fear when they are told they could end up in jail or lose their car.”
The Police Force further wishes to advise that there are avenues and procedures for complaints against members of the Force which are open to both Guyanese and foreign nationals. These include the lodging of such complaints at the Office of the Commissioner of Police, the Police Office of Professional Responsibility or the Police Complaints Authority.
Yours faithfully,
Ivelaw Whittaker
Public Relations and Press Officer
