Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn has ordered a probe of the dragging of a detainee on the floor at the Wales Police Station on Friday.
The cop involved, Constable 23107 Elliott, has been placed under close arrest and the suspect released, according to a statement from the police last night.
Benn told Stabroek News yesterday in an invited comment that the actions of the policeman toward the detained taxi driver are “very concerning and uncalled for”.
Benn was responding to a video of the assault which went viral on social media platforms yesterday and attracted heavy criticism of the behaviour of the rank.
The detainee in the video appeared to be intoxicated and put up resistance to being detained. This led Elliott to arrest the man and drag him into the lockups.
Benn told this newspaper that he has seen the video and asked the Commander of the Division, Errol Watts to launch an immediate investigation.
In a statement last night, the police said “Cognisant of a video posted on social media in which a Police Constable attached to the Wales Police Station was seen physically assaulting a man who was in police custody, throwing him off his feet by pulling at the foot cuffs and then dragging him into the lockups, the Guyana Police Force is informing the public that the policeman involved
has been placed under close arrest while the man was released from custody and sent away the same night.
“The unsavory and unacceptable incident occurred during the night of Friday June 25, 2021, after the man had driven a car into a canal at Wales, WBD, and was arrested and taken to the station for a breathalyser test to be conducted.
“The GPF does not condone the excessive use of force nor mistreatment of persons taken into custody by police ranks. Urgent investigations into this matter are being conducted by the Police Office of Professional Responsibility, the results of which will be made public”.
Benn said such violent actions should not be used by the force and the conduct of the rank is very troubling. “It brings to question why did the rank have to shackle the man and use such violent actions to detain that man,” he said.
He added that at the end of the investigations the necessary actions will be taken.
From the video, the detainee was held on to by a female, who appeared to be the rank who was attempting to escort him into the lockups while Elliott stood in front of him.
“Don’t hurt meh! Don’t hurt meh!” the detainee implored while the female attempted to walk him to the lock ups.
The detainee then removed Elliott’s hoodie and it was at that point that the cop stooped and shackled him and said “I don’t have time to waste on this man.”
Immediately after, Elliott grabbed the man by his feet and dragged him into the station’s lockups. The detainee hit his head during the ordeal but the rank appeared unmoved and went and sat at his desk afterwards.
From the video, it appeared that the female who was present collected the keys and checked on the detainee after his relatives pleaded with them. Elliott refused to give his name and badge number despite being asked by relatives multiple times.
