Dear Editor,
Editor, it was only a few weeks ago I wrote describing the verbal abuse and harassment meted out to me by police ranks because I refused to cooperate with them in going against procedure.
Despite the ongoing attack on poor policing and corrupt practices, some ranks are bent on embarrassing the force and their superiors.
On Saturday, September 17, a close family member was making his way to my home in Perseverance on a motorcycle. Sometimes after exiting the main thoroughfare and travelling the usually secluded stretch of road to Perseverance, he would take his helmet off. I admit that I too am sometimes guilty of this for the simple pleasure of feeling the cool wind caressing my scalp. Nonetheless, I was told by an on-duty traffic rank whom I engaged that this is a ticketable traffic offence and carries a fine of $5,000.
Unfortunately for my family member, persons appearing to be police ranks saw this minor infraction. They were in an unmarked grey van and two were in civilian wear and two in police uniform. They flagged down the family member and because he did not stop immediately a rank said, “my gun in rusty unno,” insinuating that he was ready to shoot him if he rode away.
They surrounded the young man with their big guns demanding a search. Although my relative refused the search for this minor infraction they did so forcibly and found nothing. A money discussion started over the helmet infraction and when the motorcyclist said he had no money, a rank declared him a liar, stating “yes you got money.” Eventually the ranks saw money in the man’s wallet when he took it out to give them his documents, and because he refused to hand over the cash, he was told to place the bike in the van and have a seat and that he would be locked up at the police station.
My relative begged; it’s a Saturday and he knew that should be locked up he would not see the road until Monday. He pleaded with the ranks telling them that he had just come from work where he is employed at Kaieteur News and was taking a cool ride home, and had done nothing wrong. The police were hard, and it was then that he reluctantly gave the four ranks $4,000 before they put him out of their van and drove off.
Now you have anti-crime patrol units that are not authorized to make willy nilly stops, but they can stop you for not wearing a helmet. How is this possible, when these men cannot give you a ticket for this ticketable offence?
This is leaving room for citizens to be harassed by dirty police ranks. Why must they have the authorization to arrest you for minor ticketable offences when anti-crime units do not carry ticket books? They are then left to handle the matter however they please ‒ pardon, fleece etc.
So, you have fleecing from traffic ranks and fleecing from the anti-crime units ‒ all around citizens lose.
Editor, if we are seriously taking about fixing the many things wrong with police service, these issues must be looked at, including the manner in which the police address citizens. Why do ranks believe they are superior to citizens and speak down, holler and bark at them? Please remind ranks that they are agents of the state which means their job is to serve the public. Where are the public relations skills in the police service?
Senior ranks are leading juniors astray. It was the youngest looking of the bunch who called me a stupid jackass when his senior told him leave me because they were not getting their way. Revamping the police culture is not a talking job; it means going back to the drawing board and seeing what went wrong and what has deteriorated. It means closing all loopholes because some ranks cannot be trusted.
Yours faithfully,
Zena Henry
