A female registration official and ex-police officer from Buxton, East Coast Demerara, was up to yesterday in police custody and her husband believes it is vindictiveness, because of her outspokenness about issues and the injustices facing the community.
Dawn King was reportedly picked up by the police on Thursday from her Lot 50 Buxton home.
‘C’ Division Commander Leroy Brummel told Stabroek News that he was aware of the arrest but advised that the matter was being dealt with by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters in the city.
The woman’s husband, Pat King told this newspaper yesterday that on the day before the woman’s arrest she and other registration officials were at a man’s home in the community conducting the registration exercise when a GDF officer attempted to grab a Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) identification badge being worn by another female clerk to read it.
According to the man, his wife intercepted the officer and told him that he had no right grabbing the badge in that fashion as all he had to do was request to see the badge, “if you could read.”
King said the officer then proceeded to take the camera and other equipment which his wife and other registration officials had in their possession and his wife again interrupted the officer, advising him that equipment was sensitive. “She told him that the equipment did not belong to either him or the government or any political party, but rather, the elections commission,” the man said.
According to him, the men left but went to their house the next day.
King said he was not home at the time but his wife was there with their seven-year-old daughter. He said his wife told him the men entered the house and went to the top flat asking for him.
“She said the officers started to curse and were asking what colour bus I drive and they threaten her saying that they would kill me and so she argued back with them,” the man said.
Asked whether his wife admitted to using any expletives in her response to the lawmen, King said his wife was a Christian and did not use indecent language. But she was someone who would not stand by and tolerate any mistreatment.
The servicemen then left the Kings home but returned minutes after and arrested the woman and took her to the Vigilance Police Station where she was held for a short while before being taken to the CID at Eve Leary and then to the female lock-ups at East La Penitence Police Station. He said he learnt that at different times she would be taken to Eve Leary.
The man said at first he was allowed to see his wife but on Friday he was prevented from seeing her.
He said the officers have not communicated with him neither has he been questioned, even though he has visited the police station on several occasions. However, during his first conversation with his wife, he said, she had told him that she had been booked for robbery under arms.
King said he was only told about the whereabouts of his wife’s cellular phone after he accused the police officers of stealing persons’ phones in the past.
“It’s only then that they told me that her phone was being sent to Georgetown for processing,” the man recounted.
Dawn King served the Guyana Police Force for 23 and a half years and came off the job as a corporal medically unfit, her husband said.
The man told this newspaper that he was convinced that his wife was being held because she has been very vocal in many issues concerning the community of Buxton and explains her feelings in no uncertain terms when “persons of influence” visit the community.
“She has been very vocal about the treatment being meted out to young people in the village and so she is being targeted because of this. When they arrested her one of the officers told her that he hopes she had mouth for herself,” the man said.
The man said his wife has also openly condemned police brutality.
Meanwhile, King said his seven-year-old daughter who was present when her mother was arrested, was traumatised.
“I can’t understand what is going on in this country. But I believe my wife’s arrest is political and someone in political power is being excessively wicked and vindictive,” he said.
“If after today and she is not released one can only presume the worst,” the man told Stabroek News yesterday.
He said he was not sure who he could turn to for justice in his situation since he has no confidence in the police or army.
“I don’t respect anyone of then and would not look to them for anything. I don’t expect government or anyone else to look into this,” he said.
