Several residents of Agricola, East Bank Demerara, yesterday afternoon stood in front the Brickdam Police Station venting their anger that the police had picked up and held a few of their relatives for a few hours without any given reason.
Efforts to contact the police for a comment proved futile. The relatives of the persons in custody related to this newspaper that the individuals including one female were picked up around 3 pm yesterday from Water Street, Agricola, and taken to the Ruimveldt Police station without being cautioned.
They were then transferred to the Brickdam Police station where they were held for at least three hours before being released.
The relatives related that while the majority of the individuals were picked up from a shop where they usually play dominoes every Saturday afternoon, two young men were dragged out of their beds by police officers who did not even identify themselves.
“Not because is Agricola you tell yuhself is sheer criminals living here, and you pull up just suh without showing any form of identification or telling people why you arresting them and take them in custody,” a woman, who preferred not to be named, said.
The woman said following the action which she described as “unprofessional” all they were told by the police after several enquiries was that the arrests were part of an ongoing campaign.
“They just say is some campaign, didn’t tell we what the campaign was about or anything and they say they taking them for profiling and if they don’t get anything they will loose them,” she said.
A man said he was standing in his premises, when he noticed his nephew being taken away by the police. “They just barged in the house without any warrant and arrest he,” the man said.
“The police have to act with professionalism when they doing their job,” an angry woman stated. She said persons in the area were being randomly victimized without any valuable reason.
Just last year, the woman said, a similar issue occurred during which several youths were arrested and released.
“They just saying is profiling, for what we don’t know….is not like these people break into somebody house or so,” she said.
The relatives called for answers into the unprofessional manner in which the police carried out their duties yesterday afternoon and said they plan on seeking a meeting with Commander of the Division Clifton Hicken tomorrow.
