Dear Editor,
The Guyana Police Force is responding to an article published in the Kaieteur News on Tuesday, March 11, under the caption ‘Transferred police crime lab boss holds on to critical forensic exhibits’ and wishes to say from the outset that the thrust of the article is misleading and is apparently intended to create mischief with the administration of the Police Force.
The Police Force categorically refutes the allegation stated in the article that Superintendent Greaves had been requested to prepare a “specific” report on ballistic tests carried out on weapons used during the Linden riots that led to the deaths of three persons. This is totally untrue.
The policy of the Guyana Police Force is for analysts at the Forensic Laboratory to have full autonomy over the analysis that they conduct and therefore they are allowed to operate independently regarding the analysis and the preparation of the report.
It must be mentioned that in all cases when ranks of the Police Force seize exhibits in the execution of their duties, they tender those exhibits as evidence in the courts of the country without any problem, even though the exhibits would have been lodged with a supervisor at a Police Station.
Further, when Superintendent Greaves took over the Forensic Laboratory from his predecessor, he would have taken over a number of exhibits relating to court matters and we have never had any issues in terms of their admission as evidence in the courts.
Yours faithfully,
Ivelaw Whittaker
Public Relations and Press Officer
