SOCU operations legal – Harmon

Jul 15, 2016 News

Government has insisted that the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) is operating in a legal manner.
Questioned yesterday during the post-Cabinet press briefings, Minister of State Joseph Harmon made it clear that it is an arm of the Guyana Police Force, and is therefore legal.
The Minister stated that “the protocols had been reviewed and we looked at the law in relation to the operation of SOCU.”
“It is an arm of the Guyana Police Force and what it is doing is consistent with the laws of Guyana and the act under which the Guyana Police Force operates,” Harmon said.
However, the Minister pointed out that when it comes to the protocol of SOCU, it requires pinpointing the particular section of the Act of the Guyana Police Force.
“It is a question of looking at a particular section under the police Act that says these are the operations that are to be conducted, but this evaluation was done.”
Harmon said that Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, would be able to elaborate on the issue.
SOCU was established in 2014 under the previous administration, but the unit lacked the essential protocols needed to operate as a specialised unit probing financial crimes.
Minister Ramjattan had said that the protocols have been drafted. The Minister explained that the protocol will outline “how they (SOCU) are going to do their operations and those are going to be made public and you will see them. It will ensure that they come in line with what are the Police Standing Operating Procedures.”
SOCU has been playing a critical role in a number of sensitive investigations, including gold smuggling and fraud in public institutions.