By Oluatoyin Alleyne

Private investigator Robert Gates feels that the police “vindictively” issued a wanted bulletin for him because he was very critical about their intelligence gathering capacity, among other things, on a local television programme.

On Tuesday afternoon the police issued the bulletin for Gates, whom they say is known as Allan Robert Gates and Clive DeNobrega, for allegedly obtaining by false pretence. The police said the man is the Director of the Confidential Investi-gation Bureau in New Amsterdam and the Chief Executive Officer of Central Import and Export.

Gates  said he has since telephoned the police and told them he would report on Monday in the company of his lawyer since he is now out of town.
Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday he  questioned why the police issued the bulletin for him when they know how to find him.

According to Gates, the move was made because the police became upset following some remarks he made on the programme Close-Up that is aired on NCN Channel 11 and hosted by Martin Goolsarran. He appeared on the programme last Sunday evening.

Gates said while he was on the programme he was very critical of police intelligence gathering and stated that there is a lack of public confidence in the force. He said he specifically mentioned an incident last year where he had given the police information on a crime being planned and the police turned up at the location and arrested the men. He said what was strange was after the men were arrested and taken to the lock-ups they were allowed to have cellular phones from which they contacted their relatives. He was forced to inform the crime chief of the area they were being held.

Gates, who was once a police constable, said he also mentioned that following the Bartica massacre he had received information that the gang of killers were in the Berbice River and he had informed the police. The police have since said that they had a confrontation with the Rondell ‘Fineman’ Rawlins gang at Christmas Falls in the Berbice River.

Infiltrate
Gates on the programme said further that while he was a constable in the force during the government of the late President Forbes Burnham he was sent to infiltrate the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) while it was under the leadership of the late Walter Rodney. The man said he apologised to the WPA on the programme and stated that he was only following orders.

In relation to what the police are alleging, Gates told Stabroek News that he was an employee of Central Import and Export which had borrowed money from a number of persons and some had received money but others did not as the business collapsed. He said a report was made to the police and he was called in and he gave a statement to the police in the presence of his lawyer since last December. He heard nothing from the police since that time until he saw the wanted bulletin in the newspapers.

Gates said the police know where to find him, especially since he has been conducting a workshop every Saturday since July 5 at the Tower Hotel on intelligence gathering.

He said that three police officers, an inspector and two sergeants, have been attending the workshop along with members of the Guyana Defence Force and the Guyana Prison Service. The workshop was slated to continue this Saturday.

“So if I am hiding why would I be conducting such a public forum?” Gates questioned yesterday. He said that if the police wanted him for questioning they knew where to find him. “I find it strange that they issue the bulletin mere days after I appeared on the television programme,” he said, adding that it is obvious that the police are being vindictive in their approach.