Latest update March 29th, 2024 12:59 AM
Dec 15, 2014 Editorial
According to eyewitness accounts, the raid on the Sterling Products Limited premises was carried out by six or more criminals, which raises serious questions about the motive of the assault.
Closet conspiracy theorists might well be chomping at the bit to get their teeth into this puzzling affair. In relatively close proximity to the Providence Police Station, a gang of armed men (it is assumed that they were all men) mounted what can only be described as a brazen attack on the business place.
It would be interesting to know how it was possible that the men were able to plan and conduct such an operation without word leaking to the intelligence units of the police and army.
First of all, with the new thrust towards intelligence-led policing, complemented by a revived interest in improving community-policing relations, it is highly improbable that such a plan could have been hatched in total secrecy.
In other words, it is almost as if these assailants were well-coordinated with each member knowing his/her part from the moment of the apparently senseless murder of security guard Wilfred Stewart to when they left “choked up” in a single vehicle.
Several things are wrong with this picture. The actions of the murderers indicate an almost uncanny belief that they would escape unscathed, unmolested and undetected.
This observation takes into consideration the fact that a crowded car speeding away from a crime scene was bound to be spotted by observant police units responding to the 911 calls.
The question is who could operate with that level of impunity within earshot of a police station on a major roadway, and hope to escape without hindrance?
This heinous crime must be condemned by all stakeholders, and the diligent efforts of the police to follow all leads to get to the bottom of this affair must be supported by everyone, regardless of where the evidence points.
This crime brings back memories of the more daring acts carried out during the crime spree of the last decade which raise doubts about whether the police have developed their investigative capability beyond brutalizing suspects to obtain confessions.
On that note it is worth mentioning that it is patently unfair that the Guyanese people should be made to pay the cost for police ranks who practice torture.
The lesson inherent in the Government’s action to settle with the Sparendaam torture victim is that the police can go right ahead doing what they have been doing because they will not face any penalty for doing so. In the absence of explicit and comprehensive reform programmes, the police will only be spinning wheels deluding themselves and the populace that changes are happening.
That may be the only conclusion to arrive at since we are none the wiser of how the Force will be expected to operate in serving and protecting all within these national borders.
This might be a good time for the more enterprising media practitioners to try to gain an understanding of what is intended when the police speak of reforms for dissemination to the wider society.
As it stands right now, people are not convinced that anything positive is being done in that regard apart from the publicity blitz showcasing the sharing of gifts to communities.
Those initiatives are all well and commendable but those acts in and of themselves do not improve the level of comfort for the people because they are not linked to any successes in fighting crime by any measurable indicators.
To blithely say that a reduction in crime is because of a police presence in certain communities ignore the commission of particular crimes in other communities which have just as serious potential to defeat the best efforts at developing the economy.
A more scientific approach is required at this juncture of law enforcement evolution, moving away from emotive statements which have no basis in reality. The nation rightly needs to know just how impacting have been the initiatives.
A lot of money has been poured into the various community ventures, and maybe some of it can be used to organize an informant system while at the same time observing proper accounting and auditing principles if we are to avoid a repeat of Sterling.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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