Saying that it appears that ministers of the government are not on the same page, former Attorney-General Anil Nandlall has voiced concern over the disclosure by the administration that the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) may soon be separated from the Guyana Police Force.
Attorney-General Basil Williams made the disclosure on Tuesday and Nandlall said that it raises red flags as it is different from what Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan had previously said.
The work of the unit came under the microscope last December after a bungled surveillance operation resulted in the deaths of three persons, including an army intelligence officer. Later, government sought funding for the unit under the Ministry of Presidency and after the parliamentary opposition expressed concern about the situation, it was later announced that steps would be taken to have the unit placed under the police force. Nandlall, who was instrumental in the establishment of the unit, told Stabroek News that according to Ramjattan the operational protocols situate SOCU as part of the Guyana Police Force under the superintendence of the Commissioner of Police and that those protocols are part of the standing orders of the Guyana Police Force.
