Dear Editor,
The police in Berbice or in Guyana never cease to amaze me. Last Monday, no less than the Chief of Police in ‘B’ Division, Mr Merai went to arrest a teacher on the West Coast of Berbice. The commander went with a set of policemen, guns and several vehicles to pick up this teacher. My, they don’t even arrest notorious drug lords and criminals like this. Can this nonsense ever happen anywhere else in the world? Can any police force in the civilized world invade a public school on the first day of the school week, during the moments when students might have been gainfully occupied with learning, or just having a relaxing recess after a tiresome morning assembly or first period of work?
That’s not all. The police did not even see it fit to inform the school’s administration or the Regional Education Officer prior to arresting one of her teachers. The parents of the girls were also not informed that their daughters would be taken out from the school that day to New Amsterdam for questioning into sexual misconduct allegations. I know the public education system and regulations and I am saying that no police officer, no parent, no one can enter a school and remove any child or teacher without the consent and knowledge of the head teacher, parent or REO – no one.
Therefore, this should not be repeated, ever, in our schools and the Ministry of Education ought to take cognizance of this new development of police officers – a barrage of them – arriving at school, marching in the compound and making a spectacle of arresting teachers and taking students without parental consent. And there were media houses that were there during the arrest. They said nothing about this inept behaviour by the police. They reported nothing about it. I guess it was news for them that morning, our intimidated media.
This is blatant ignorance. But the police in Guyana are not able to do better. They believe they are above everything and everyone in Guyana. They are very rude to members of the public. Arrogance reigns supreme.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
