The police are in possession of CCTV footage from a brazen early-morning attempted robbery on North Road and will use facial recognition technology to help identify the perpetrators.
This was confirmed by Acting Crime Chief Michael Kingston, who when contacted yesterday told Stabroek News that investigators were able to retrieve surveillance footage from the August 19th attack which captured images of the suspects.
However, he said the motorcycle they used, did not carry any licence plate.
“….We are looking for the suspects as it relates to the matter because the motorcycle doesn’t have any number but we do have images of the persons and we are looking for them…..It’s just a matter now of having the persons arrested,” Kingston said.
Director of bauxite mining company, Guyana Industrial Minerals, Ian Christie, in an article published by this newspaper on August 25th had said that he was displeased with the police response and had raised questions as whether the recently installed surveillance cameras with facial recognition technology had picked up any footage which might have assisted in the probe.
After the article was published, Christie said he was contacted by Kingston who requested that he visit his Eve Leary office.
Christie said during the visit, Kingston explained to him that the footage from the CCTV cameras is not immediately accessible but usually takes some time.
He added that he was thereafter shown the footage and was told that the police will be using facial recognition technology, which is one of the features of the recently installed surveillance cameras in locating the suspects.
“…I met with him (Kingston) last Wednesday morning and he showed me some film they had……it was spot on, a pretty clear film….he said that they are going to try to find them through facial recognition blow ups,” Christie explained.
Kingston also confirmed the visit. “……I showed him (Christie) footage, that we do have footage of the persons,” he said.
Christie had previously told Stabroek News that around 5.42 am on August 19th, he was accosted by two armed bandits at the corner of Alexander Street and North Road during his morning run.
“Suddenly two motorcycles just rode around past me and did the U-turn and one of them jumped off and pointed a gun right at me from about a meter away,” Christie had said.
“I screamed loudly and then I very quickly pulled the pin on my personal alarm….there is a strap on it which I wrap around my wrist and then you just pull that up very quickly and it makes a very loud alarm,” he explained.
He said this alerted a passer-by and caused his attackers to flee. “When the alarm went off they decided that this is getting risky for them so he jumped back on the bike and they rode up North Road,” Christie said.
A passing motorist subsequently picked up Christie and they gave chase after the bandits. “We chased them for a block or two but they disappeared,” he said.
A report was lodged at the Alberttown Police Station.
Christie had described the experience as frightening while noting that the incident was the second he had experienced within the past two months. As a result he has been forced to stop his morning runs.
