Latest update March 29th, 2024 12:59 AM
Mar 05, 2015 News
Francis Bailey, the young man who is behind the posting of a video highlighting
two youths rolling what appears to be a marijuana joint on a police vehicle, is convinced that the police are trying to further intimidate him for publicising the harassment they inflicted on him.
Hours after Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud, announced that he had ordered the Office of Professional Responsibility to investigate Bailey’s allegation of police harassment, police ranks who were reportedly involved, have been ringing his phone and demanding that he report to the station to meet with them.
Further, hours after he refused the request, uniformed police ranks turned up at his gate, a move he believes is designed to intimidate him so that he would refrain from facilitating the investigation.
Bailey’s trouble started a week ago when he uploaded the video on YouTube, incurring the wrath of the mechanic, who owned the workshop where the police vehicle was being repaired.
Soon after the video was posted, a jeepload of police ranks showed up at his house with the mechanic, demanding his camera.
They arrested Bailey and forcibly deleted the video from his camera. The police even took him to a house of one of their colleagues where they accessed the internet and ordered Bailey to remove the post, threatening to place him in the lock-ups if he didn’t.
Fearing a night in a cold concrete cell, Bailey complied.
As soon as he was released he contacted this newspaper and the entire episode was exposed. Bailey had welcomed the Commissioner’s announcement that an investigation was ordered, but is now having second thoughts.
Yesterday, Bailey related that Tuesday evening, he was contacted via telephone by the female Sergeant in Charge of the North Ruimveldt Police Outpost; who asked him to attend a meeting with the Inspector at the East La Penitence Police Station.
He was reportedly told that he should present himself there at 8:00 hours yesterday to which he agreed. However, Bailey said he became suspicious and later sent a text message to the rank, who had called on her mobile device, informing her that the meeting seemed to have been hastily organised and he would be uncomfortable presenting himself without an attorney.
Bailey told this publication that his discomfort was intensified owing to the fact, that it was the said Sergeant who had refused to take a statement from him when he went to the police outpost to report that the businessman had shown up at his home, threatening him.
“It’s the same people that wrongfully detained me against my will, so naturally I’m going to be suspicious. It’s like putting a cat to watch milk. This was a little too close to home. The same people who violated my rights tried to organise a meeting,” he said.
What Bailey found even more suspicious, however, are reports that he received from his neighbours. According to Bailey, he was duly informed that a vanload of police ranks, dressed in blue, pulled up at his premises around 10:00 hours yesterday.
His neighbours told him that the ranks came knocking on his gate, calling, “Inside!” but left shortly after when no one responded.
The anti-corruption advocate believes that these recent acts on the part of the police are aimed at intimidating him into “striking a deal” or letting the matter be swept under the carpet. “It’s too suspicious that after I get the call and I refuse, they turn up at my house the next day. Why are the police coming to my house?”
Bailey said he is not under investigation for any criminal activity and should not be treated as if he was. The anti-corruption advocate went on to say that people have legitimate reasons to fear the police.
The 29-year-old made it clear that he is not adverse to supporting an investigation or meeting with the Police Commissioner and vowed to follow up on any channel necessary. Additionally, he told Kaieteur News that he intends to lodge a report with the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) and Ombudsman, Justice Winston Moore.
Bailey expressed hope for a proper investigation to be launched. “People shouldn’t look at this as a single case but this falls into a pattern of victimization. There are numerous cases where citizens are being victimized by the Guyana Police Force,” he said.
Former Commissioner of Police, Winston Felix, had told this newspaper, “Unless these matters are dealt with, policemen will not get the message. So we will have to take a course of action which sends a message to everybody that this (taking a video) is not an illegal act. You can photograph anywhere!”
“This should not be termed anything like policing; that is what you call bullyism,” Felix stated. “I don’t know if the Force cannot recall, but since in the eighties, we got rid of this nonsense of taking away people’s cameras. People are free to take photographs and (in this case) the action of the police is illegal,” Felix declared.
In light of that, Bailey said that it is clear that the police ranks who arrested him seem to be making up their own Law.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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