A Community Policing Group (CPG) Officer and his sixteen-year-old son from Edinburgh Village, East Bank Berbice were on Saturday evening placed under arrest after they reportedly beat and stabbed a GuySuCo worker in the village.
Basdeo Sahadeo, also known as `Vishram’, 25, of Back Street, Edinburgh Village, sustained several stab injuries, minor cuts and a hit to his head. Sahadeo was rushed to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital minutes after 11 pm on Saturday where he received ten stitches in total for his injuries. He was subsequently sent home, where he is presently nursing his injuries.
According to Sahadeo, he was on the Edinburgh Public Road on Saturday night, when the CPG officer informed him that someone from Back Street in Edinburgh Village wanted to beat him. He said he then ventured to the person’s house to seek clarity.
Sahadeo explained that about a month ago, the man who the CPG officer said wanted to beat him had sent a lad to a nearby shop. “The lil boy come and borrow me bicycle and go shop and like them send he with $1000 counterfeit money, them claiming how me take the good money and give the boy counterfeit money but me na take the money is them send the counterfeit money”, he said.
Basdeo said as he was telling the person that he did not exchange any money, the CPG officer came up behind him. “He (CPG officer) tell me look how y’all could get y’all dead and I asking `wah I do you’ and he start talk and cuss up and then he lash me with a bottle in me head, I tell he `man you is a big man and me ain’t come to fight’, so then he punch me and then I end up and start exchange two punch with he and he fall down”.
It was at this time, that Basdeo said the CPG officer’s 16-year-old son rushed out of the yard and started to “punch and bore me…then the (CPG officer) get up and hold me down and he son bore me in me chest and so…I didn’t see wah he bore me with but it look like them things wah you does wear on you hand that got them sharp edge”.
Neighbours after hearing the commotion rushed to the scene. One neighbour, Maggie Evans, 40, said, “Basdeo didn’t mention nothing about the (CPG officer) he suddenly appeared on the scene and took over the entire incident”. Evans said neighbours started to pull away Basdeo from the CPG man’s grip, however, at that point he began hurling insults and threatening to “shoot everyone”.
Residents of the area including Basdeo and Evans told Stabroek News, that the CPG officer is a “bully” in the community. They claimed that he would often threaten to shoot residents, since he is a licensed firearm holder.
Residents strongly believe that the CPG officer has been abusing his powers for years now. They noted, that he would drive the CPG van with other officers and patrol the area, however, they said, he makes them feel more scared rather than safe.
They are calling on the officials to look into the matter and possibly reprimand the officer for his actions.
