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Jul 02, 2008 News
The Guyana Police Force says that the children of public officials are accountable for their actions, and ought to act in a manner consistent with the laws of the land.
The Force was responding to statements by Minister Robeson Benn in a newspaper article regarding the arrest of his son by a party of policemen on patrol.
The minister, in the article, had suggested that the Police might have been seeking to make an illegal ‘shakedown’ and ‘spiteful arrest’.
The article stated that the minister allegedly issued a statement regarding an incident involving his son, Robeson Benn Jr., and the Police on Mandela Avenue, Georgetown, last Friday, June 20, 2008, while he was driving a motor vehicle.
The article further stated that, according to the statement, the incident was evidently another ‘shakedown’ attempt by some rogue policemen, which went awry and degenerated to “road rage” and assault on a young man protesting the violation of his legitimate rights as a citizen.
Setting the record straight, the Police Public relations Department, in a statement, said that the ranks were on duty at Mandela Avenue when they saw a motor vehicle with very dark tint being driven in front of them.
The ranks put on their vehicle’s siren and flashing lights in an attempt to get the driver to stop, but he failed to do so.
According to the Police, ranks then drove up alongside the vehicle and signalled for the vehicle to stop, but the vehicle was driven further.
The ranks again drove up alongside and signalled the driver to stop, at which stage the vehicle pulled over and stopped.
The Police statement said that the driver, who was accompanied by a female, became very abusive to the Police upon being questioned, and had to be restrained because of his conduct.
He was subsequently arrested, at which stage he identified himself as Robeson Benn Jr., and was taken to the Brickdam Police Station.
Some time after, his father, Minister Robeson Benn, turned up at the station, and in his presence Robeson Benn Jr. again became abusive to the Police and began to behave in a disorderly manner, causing his father to have to talk to him about his behaviour.
He was subsequently charged with disorderly behaviour and appeared in court, where he pleaded not guilty and was placed on $10,000 bail.
According to the Police, given the current climate in which gunmen are in motor vehicles, some of which are tinted, the Police ranks have to be very vigilant when making checks to ascertain who is/are in a vehicle, as they can never be sure as to who are the persons in a tinted vehicle.
The situation is compounded when drivers of tinted vehicles fail to stop when so ordered by the Police. This can lead to some amount of aggression on the part of the ranks.
In view of the allegations being made, the Police Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting an investigation into the matter, after which a report will be forwarded for the advice of the Director of Public Prosecution.
The Police wish to state that at no time was any request made for money from the minister’s son, and the incident was not a ‘shakedown,’ as claimed by the minister in his statement.
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