Dear Editor,
The Guyana Police Force has taken note of a letter published in yesterday’s edition of Stabroek News dated 5th September, 2020, under the caption `Authorities should look into the detention of these 15 men at Mahdia’, which suggests racial discrimination and abuse of authority.
In the interest of clarity, the Guyana Police Force would like to inform as follows:
It is a fact that fifteen males were arrested for breach of the COVID-19 Orders. However, that these males are of African descent had no bearing on the arrests.
Also, indeed the men were photographed, however on none of the information sheets used was there any other inscription than the bio information provided by the respective individuals. Thus, to say that one of the information sheets read in addition to the bio information, “Robbery Under Arms” is distinctly untrue. Further, the photographs taken were part of a process to obtain verification and possible additional information on the persons.
In closing, the Guyana Police Force wishes to state that it remains committed to preservation of the constitutional rights of each individual and will take all necessary action to maintain this posture. To this end, an invitation is hereby extended to any of the individuals, or anyone else who may feel aggrieved, to lodge a complaint with the Police Office of Professional Responsibility or the Police Complaints Authority which is independent of the Guyana Police Force.
Yours faithfully,
Royston Andries-Junor
Assistant Commissioner
Public Relations and Press Officer
Guyana Police Force