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North Ruimveldt operation

Police say ‘Skinny’ was target

Wanted man Jermaine ‘Skinny’ Charles, who escaped from the Sparendaam Police Station late last month, was the target of the police operation aback of North Ruimveldt late Tuesday night, according to Acting Commissioner of Police Henry Greene.

Greene, who was speaking to reporters yesterday following the police awards ceremony at Eve Leary, said that police had received intelligence that Charles was in the area and they turned up at the location and there was an exchange of gunfire. He said that the police were later joined by members of the Joint Services. Asked if anyone was injured during the shoot-out, Greene said that no lawman was injured.

The commissioner also revealed that there were two operations, following the North Ruimveldt shoot-out there was another operation aback of Eccles, East Bank Demerara, but he did not go into details.
Sources had told Stabroek News on Tuesday night that suspicious elements were seen in the community of North Ruimveldt and may have fled to the back of the community which is separated by the ‘Blacka’ canal from the canefields.

Lindo Creek

Greene had also stated that Charles was connected with the infamous Buxton gang but he did not mention the presence of Guyana’s most wanted Rondell ‘Fineman’ Rawlins, whose gang the force has since linked to the death of the eight miners at Lindo Creek. The acting commissioner was asked how the men had travelled from Lindo Creek in the Berbice River to Georgetown and he said that he “really can’t answer that part of it.” Greene was also asked whether the trail of ‘Fineman’ may have gone cold and his answer was, “I have no comment on that.”

Asked about the suspect in the Lindo Creek massacre the police had said they had in custody, Greene refused to answer preferring to say that they would “do what we have to do in due course.”

He also did not confirm or deny whether the person was still in custody, stating that he would not answer the question “at this point.” He disclosed, however, that they have sought the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The acting commissioner also spoke about the visit of the three crime scene investigators from Trinidad who came here last week. He said they visited Lindo Creek and collected a few items, which were handed over to the police and included some “bones”. He said that the investigators are expected to compile a “complete” report which would be handed over to him.

He said that investigators, including a pathologist, are expected in the country “anytime” to conduct DNA tests on the remains found at the crime scene. Questioned as to what exactly is expected from the visits of the regional lawmen, Greene said that the officers would look “at what we have and give their own views.”

The Ministry of Home Affairs had announced last week after the US Government had indicated that it was unable to help Guyana in the investigation, that help had been sought from CARICOM countries and that Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Barbados had all responded positively.

Greene was asked if the visiting officers would help to determine who executed the attack at Lindo Creek and he said “We have already pronounced on that.”

The police have since said that ballistics tests on the spent shells found at the scene show that they match one of the weapons that was recovered by the security forces from Cecil Ramcharran called ‘Uncle Willie’ and Robin Chung called ‘Chung Boy’ who were slain at Goat Farm during a confrontation with lawmen.

Police had said they encountered ‘Fineman’ and his gang during a confrontation at Christmas Falls on June 6. They said that one of the gunmen was killed while six others managed to escape.

Shortly after this another group of gunmen hijacked a busload of passengers on the Aroaima trail and disappeared. Police killed two gunmen subsequently at Goat Farm, located some 90 miles from Christmas Falls and arrested a teenager at Ituni. The teen was subsequently charged with the February 17 killings at Bartica. It is not clear whether the men who were killed - Chung and Ramcharran - were among the hijackers.

Police have not been able to explain how the gunmen who were first confronted at Christmas Falls were able to move 90 miles, breaking out of a cordon which was reportedly established by the Joint Services.

Magistrate Gilhuys

The acting commissioner was also asked about the investigation into the incident involving Magistrate Gordon Gilhuys which resulted in police officer Mark George being shot and he said that they are awaiting advice from the DPP. He said that the DPP had asked them to clear up “some matters” and one of those was getting a statement from the injured police officer who is hospitalised. He said they had to get permission from the man’s doctor and they have since being granted that permission but he was not certain whether the statement was taken.

Asked why the police cannot institute charges following their own investigations, the commissioner said that once it involves the police they always seek advice before instituting any charges.

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22 Responses to “North Ruimveldt operation”

guy123
on July 17th, 2008 6:46 am

“We have already pronounced on that” Wow,so where are the fugitives sir?

[Reply to this]
rdman
In reply to the above comment on July 17th, 2008 9:54 am:
when he says he already pronounced on that,he means the blame has already been thrown on fineman,so when the forensic findings are concluded,we would blame it on fineman and skinny man.

[Reply to this]
Incognegro
on July 17th, 2008 8:04 am

“The acting commissioner was asked how the men had travelled from Lindo Creek in the Berbice River to Georgetown and he said that he “really can’t answer that part of it.” Greene was also asked whether the trail of ‘Fineman’ may have gone cold and his answer was, “I have no comment on that.”

Asked about the suspect in the Lindo Creek massacre the police had said they had in custody, Greene refused to answer preferring to say that they would “do what we have to do in due course.”

Funny stuff!

[Reply to this]
raulcedras
In reply to the above comment on July 17th, 2008 9:10 am:
Bugs Bunny wud luv this guy. There is room at cartoon network for this stuff.

[Reply to this]
cochore
In reply to the above comment on July 17th, 2008 12:57 pm:
Greene is only acting and he’s doing a bad job at that. What do you expect from a third rate bit actor, who is filling in the background scenery?….
Ricardo
on July 17th, 2008 8:30 am

The Minister of Home Affairs and the Commissioner of Police are at a loss. everything that happens in GT now will be SKINNY related and out of GT FINEMAN. When will they be found? Your guess good as mine but i hope sooner rather than later…

[Reply to this]
Dinstinct
In reply to the above comment on July 17th, 2008 9:31 am:
NEver….they have to take all the blame….

[Reply to this]
Dinstinct
on July 17th, 2008 8:34 am

One thing I dont understand Mr.ggreene how can u let the police force leave after bandits shoot at them…By all means they suppose to comb and capture

[Reply to this]
mercigar
on July 17th, 2008 8:46 am

I’m so sick and tired Police intelligence say the fugitives were meeting. The Choppers should have been airbourne surveilling. The Joint services should have been approaching from all sides. How on earth the men got away

[Reply to this]
Dinstinct
In reply to the above comment on July 17th, 2008 9:29 am:
The choppers didn’t have no grease to spin the thing a top to lift offf as Sharma said…lol Fineman and Skinny would never be apprehend they let skinny go
What makes u think they capture him back…THey are out there to take the blame for all the crimes..

[Reply to this]
La vie est bonne!
In reply to the above comment on July 17th, 2008 9:46 am:
Weren’t the choppers mothballed?
White elephant is the lingo for them.

[Reply to this]
Arcadia Terry
In reply to the above comment on July 17th, 2008 10:31 pm:
Find out the year the choppers were built then you will understand why they are on the ground for show and not in the air .
HyBriD
on July 17th, 2008 10:19 am

Who said that “Cecil” and “Chung Boy” were amongst those that were at Christmas Falls? How was that determined?

[Reply to this]
gtmassive
on July 17th, 2008 10:22 am

Nothing Mr Greene says make sense to me anymore. He has to fall in the same category as Rohee.

It shows clearly Mr Goveia was right about the helicopters - nothing but a waste of tax payers money.

[Reply to this]
pepie
on July 17th, 2008 10:52 am

Well this Skinny is going to become the next best thing for the police - another way of solving crime.

I guess in the more than three weeks skinny is on the run, he has not travel more than four miles from where he was last seen - Sparendaam Police Station. To me this doesn’t make sense and the police needs to stop this linear way of thinking. These criminals are not stupid, especially what we heard so far about skinny.

The shooting at the back of North Ruimveldt seems to coincide with unsuccessful robbery on the Ogle road, which occurred a few days ago. I believe these men are desperate and needs cash more than before to properly make their escape from the law. So it is likely that they will stick around to commit another crime. However, I think skinny is out of the city, and making every effort to join the now famous fine man gang.

SKINNY ESCAPE
The word on the streets about skinny escape is that he did not escape from the holding cell inside the police station but from right in the court. It is widely believe from those on the streets that the crowed court was ideal for an escape, where clothing and money was passed to skinny, who walked right out of the court house, flag a bus down and disappear. It is also believed that the ranks in the court on that day, after realising that a prisoner was missing, quietly took the prisoners back to the cell, where minutes after an alarm was raised. The report about the seven inch hole in the floor was a cover. I say this because persons with knowledge have indicated that there is concrete inches under that cell, making an escape through the floor impossible. It is also alleged that the 20 odd prisoners who were there on the day of the famous escape, were threatened by skinny that they loved ones would be killed if they talk.

However, I’m starting to think that the police may have made a deal with skinny to lead them to fine man and his gang or to bring in other gangs.

[Reply to this]
guyanesetodbone
on July 17th, 2008 11:27 am

This is high class slackness that these chaps could getaway in some bushes behind the blaka, wid all of the sophisticated equipment that the force has. People tell me something, if Mr. Green got intelligence about skinny, why de hell dem helicopters din bin in de air giving survelliance as de president said was their main aim?. Inefficiency, ineffectiveness, incompetence, ignorance, indolence, mental lassitude, mental bankruptcy, mental lethargy, all compounded by fuzzy thinking and mumblings of nothingness. That’s this government and police force, take it or leave it.

[Reply to this]
miltonbruce
on July 17th, 2008 12:37 pm

Has anyone any doubts as to why this man (Greene) is still acting commissioner?

[Reply to this]
rynexx
on July 17th, 2008 2:38 pm

Can we have another Commissioner of Police please????????

Someone who knows how to deal with crime and traffic, someone who is a critical thinker, someone who has vision, someone who can motivate his staff to the job at hand, someone who can help stamp out corruption, someone who knows how to attract more people to the force.

[Reply to this]
Carl
on July 17th, 2008 9:38 pm

One of today’s dailies carried the story of our policemen who received in excess of $GY100 million in non-salary remuneration for their roles in fighting crime.

Guyana’s policemen have now been turned into a group of bounty hunters. In the U.S. and other properly run democracies, law-enforcement officers are not eligible to share in the rewards offered for wanted persons, for it is rightly thought that apprehending suspects is a part of their job. But not so in Guiyana. Members of the GPF receive a share of the bounty, in addition to their salaries, whether the suspect is brought in dead or alive.

So when information comes in about the sighting of a wanted man, every officer probably begins to think about maximizing his/her share of the bounty by sharing it with as small a group as possible. Thus the rush into action without any proper planning or coordination. There is also evidence that there is very little trust among the various branches of our joint services, and that police operations have become very politicised.

Thus those with criminal intent more often than not come out as winners due to the chaos caused by mistrust, politicisation of police operations, and the bounty-hunter’s mindset that has developed in the joint services.

By the way, no amount of training can ever change the current attitude that has enveloped law enforcement. So the British can send trainers until the end of time, but nothing will change until mistrust engendered by poltics, political interference in operations, and bounty hunting are eradicated from our police culture. But these can only be remedied by policy/political decisions, not training.

[Reply to this]
Ginger56
on July 17th, 2008 10:37 pm

I no longer trust what the acting commissioner has to say. I lost confidence in him when he claimed to have an eyewitness for the Lindo Creek massacre; to date nothing has been heard of again about such eyewitness.

On another note, Mr. President, when will the helicopters be put to use? Charges should be laid against the government for misusing tax payers’ money - what a waste.

[Reply to this]
betsy
on July 17th, 2008 11:38 pm

Guys this is just too funny, do you think its fine man and skinny who beat up and kill the prisoner in the jail? Might as well blame them for everything, seems like they are invincible and invisible. I vote we make fine man chief of police and skinny deputy chief, cause it seems they have the brains to do a much better job.

[Reply to this]
Georgina
on July 18th, 2008 12:41 pm

Greene obviously needs some sort of media training because his responses fuel more anger and fear amongst the nation.

Somebody please assist this gentleman in the art of responding to questions constructively

[Reply to this]