A little over one week after residents of Hosororo Hill, Region One alleged that their homes were raided by members of the joint services, investigations into the matter have been completed and the file will be sent for legal advice soon.
This is according to Commander of ‘F’ Division Ravindradat Budhram, who yesterday confirmed that the file will be sent shortly to the police force’s legal advisor. He said that in the interim, the four men who were arrested during the incident were placed on station bail.
On the morning of February 21, residents of Hosororo Hill had alleged that members of the joint services invaded the homes of several families in search of suspects in an assault. Due to the actions of the men, the roadways were blocked and the police were called in by residents to stop the situation from escalating.
Residents described the actions of the servicemen, which included soldiers and at least one policeman, as “unprofessional,” after they reportedly entered four different homes without permission or even providing any form of identification.
The men only stated that they were in search of some youths who allegedly assaulted a man the previous evening during a floodlight football match held in the community. This newspaper understands that the man who got into the scuffle with a villager is a soldier and he complained to his fellow ranks, who went in search of the resident.
Two residents had related that based on how the soldiers acted, they appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.
Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Brigadier Mark Phillips had told Stabroek News on Sunday that the alleged perpetrators have been removed from active duty and confined to their respective bases, while promising that those found guilty of any of the alleged acts will be dealt with “condignly.”
Meanwhile, a resident who said he had his door kicked down during the incident yesterday said that while he is pleased that the matter has been investigated all he can do presently is “keep his fingers crossed” to ensure his grandson along with the other victims will be able to receive justice.
The man, who did not want to be identified, is of the belief that if the matter is not dealt with properly at this time, there could be a recurrence. “I glad because if they don’t do something now these men might as well come back and do even worse,” he stated.
