Suspected robber Kirk Bacchus, who was wearing a t-shirt with a Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) logo at the time he was shot dead by police on Monday, was not an employee of the utility company.
GPL yesterday said that Bacchus, of Paradise Village, East Coast Demerara, was never an employee of the company and was not authorised to conduct any work on its behalf.
Bacchus was killed during a confrontation with police at Kastev Housing Scheme, Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara, where police were staking out a building after receiving a tip off about a planned robbery.
While most of the company’s field workers wear shirts with GPL’s logo, all workers are required to wear in a conspicuous place a GPL’s identification card visible to the public, GPL said in a press release yesterday, while noting that the card must be presented to customers when employees conduct the company’s business.
It added that the front side of GPL employees’ IDs bear a photograph of the person, the name and designation, while the reverse side should indicate the date of employment and bear the company’s Deputy Human Resources Manager’s signature.
GPL yesterday also urged its customers to ensure that the nature of the business to be transacted be stated clearly before allowing any of its employees to act on the company’s behalf.
As an example, it said that GPL’s authorised field officers conducting mandatory checks of meters should state clearly the purpose of their visit and present their findings on an official document bearing GPL’s letterhead at the completion of the investigation.
It added that should the person(s) fail to produce authentic ID from the GPL, or if a customer wishes to confirm the authenticity of the employee, they should call the company’s emergency call centre number 592-226-4015/16 or send a SMS to 600-4GPL (4475).
“No worker is authorised to collect monies for any reason on behalf of GPL. All payments must be made at the company’s Commercial Office or at an authorised agent: Commercial Banks, Bill Express, Sure Pay, and Post Offices,” it further said.
