Dear Editor,
Once again both as an ordinary citizen and as an attorney-at-law I was outraged to read the following in Stabroek News dated May 30, 2008.
“Police round up Agricola men
“Police yesterday morning rounded up close to a dozen men in the East Bank Demerara community of Agricola during a raid which the lawmen said was a routine exercise.”
Mr Editor, Chapter 16:01 Sec 17 of the Police Act of the Laws of Guyana reads as follows:
“17. (1) It shall be lawful for any member of the Force to arrest without a warrant—
(a) any person who commits in his view an offence punishable either upon indictment or upon summary conviction; or
(b) any person whom any other person charges with having committed a felony or misdemeanour; or
(c) any person whom any other person—
(i) suspects of having committed a felony or misdemeanour, or (ii) charges with having committed an offence punishable on summary conviction, if such other person is willing to accompany the member of the Force effecting the arrest to the police station and to enter into a recognisance to prosecute such charge; or
(d) any person whom such member of the Force finds disturbing the public peace; or
(e) any person whom he has good cause to suspect of having committed or being about to commit any felony, misdemeanour or breach of the peace; or
(f) any person whom he finds between the hours of eight o’clock in the evening and five o’clock in the morning lying or loitering in a highway, yard, or other place and not able to give a satisfactory account of himself.
(2) Without prejudice to the powers conferred upon a member of the Force by the last preceding subsection, it shall be lawful for any member of the Force, and for any person whom he shall call to his assistance, to arrest without warrant any person who within the view of any such member of the Force shall offend in any manner against any law and whose name and address shall be unknown to such member of the Force and cannot be ascertained by him.”
Mr Editor while one might excuse the predecessors of the present Commissioner of Police (ag) for carrying out such unlawful and illegal acts, ignorance of the law being no excuse, Mr Henry Green, a qualified attorney-at-law can have no excuse for ordering or permitting members of the force arbitrarily, indiscriminately and with no lawful excuse, picking up, as against arresting, willy-nilly, citizens of the state, in their efforts to arrest the crime rate in this country.
One reads of the raids in Buxton and Agricola; never in Port Mourant or Rose Hall or Leonora or Uitvlugt.
Mr Editor, this lawlessness must stop now. We are not living in a police state. History tells us of the results when we suffer the loss of our fundamental freedoms under a police state with a political agenda.
Yours faithfully,
R J Eleazar
MR R.J ELEAZER,
YOU ARE SOUNDING LIKE A JOKE HERE, FOR YEARS THE BAR ASSOCIATION HAS ALLOWED THE GUYANA POLICE TO USE ILL TRAINED POLICE RANKS LIKE CONSTABLES, CPL’S ,SGT’S ,INSP’S TO PROSECUTE CASES, THIS IS WRONG, THESE RANKS ARE ON THE TAKE AND THE WORLD KNOWS THIS.
NOW YOU HAVE A SITUATION WHERE THESE RANKS WHO SPEND A FEW WEEKS IN POLICE TRAINING SCHOOL CAN OUTWIT THE LAWYERS WHO SPEND YEARS IN TRAINING.
WHEN A LAWYER SEEK BAIL THE LITTLE POLICE CAN SAY NO AND THE BENCH SIDE WITH THEM, THIS IS UNHEARD OF IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY.
THEN WE ALLOW ONTO THE BENCH PEOPLE WHO SHOULD NOT BE THERE
WHAT KIND OF INVESTIGATION DOES THE BAR ASSOCIATION DO BEFORE THEY ALLOW PEOPLE ON THE BENCH.
GUYANA IS BEING RUN LIKE A SALT GOODS STORE THATS WHY THE POLICE CAN DO WHAT THEY WANT.
YOU HAVE CID RANKS WHO CHARGE AND PLACE PEOPLE BEFORE THE COURT WITH MATTERS THAT WERE ALREADY SETTLED IN A CIVIL WAY AND THE POLICE ADMINISTRATION DO NOTHING ABOUT THIS.
WHERE ARE THE LAWYERS IN GUYANA, I THINK THAT YOUR STATEMENT NOW IS SELF SERVING. THE FIRST THING IS FOR THE BAR ASSOCIATION TO PUT AN END TO RANKS WITHOUT GCE SUBJECTS TO BE ALLOWED TO PROSECUTE CASES.
MICHAEL RYAN-GEORGE
Mike, police prosecuters are only used for cases / people that are friendly to the govt or other person of privilage. Who prosecuted the Roger Khan spy,guns/ ammo case it was a police officer. When Mark Benschop was in the courts only the best Prosecuters were chosen, samething is now happening to Oliver Hinckson. Mike i challenge you to google Guyana Bar Association an see what comes up, hope the result does not give you a seizure.
ADDED TO MY FIRST LETTER, MR ELEAZER, IT MIGHT BE WORTH LOOKING AT, THAT WHEN MOST POLICE LEAVE THE FORCE OR ARE KICKED OUT THEY FIND SECURITY JOBS, BUT WHEN THE PEOPLE WHO PROSECUTE CASES QUIT THEY ARE WELL PLACED TO OPEN A BUSINESS OR FLY ABROAD, NOW WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT?
MICHAEL RYAN – GEORGE