Latest update March 28th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jul 07, 2017 Letters
Dear Editor,
Please permit me to comment on the recent botched robbery at the Republic Bank Water Street branch several days ago. I once shared a few local case studies with my hostage and crises negotiation classmates in the USA; and one of my professors said that she was very surprised to learn of some of the things that happen in Guyana, given its small population.
But it was Professor Wayman C. Mullins of the University of Texas who said that even in large cities; you seldom find some of the things that go on in Guyana, and in relatively close proximity of each other. He opined that things in Guyana might get a lot worse before it gets better. So now we come to the recent botched armed robbery, and brief hostage situation. It is interesting to note that barricade situations are becoming commonplace in Guyana.
Readers will recall the standoff at the Toucan Suits many years ago which resulted in the death of Linden London AKA Blackie. Then there was the one on Middle Street, and now this one, all these incidents present differing characteristics. In the case of Toucan Suits, the police resorted to what is known in crisis negotiation as the ‘action imperative’ and killed the previously barricaded fugitive immediately after he emerged, even though a negotiated position had been arrived at.
The Middle street standoff presented the profile of a ‘berserk active shooter’ while the recent robbery was a well taught out crime, by minds too young to understand concentric layers of security. Even this case is a very strange and troubling one for many reasons. Very seldom do you see professional people with great potential for growth getting into such escapades, except when faced with severe domestic crises, as is often the case with military veterans.
The robbery became a hostage situation in so far that one of the robbers used an individual at the scene of the crime, to prosecute a ‘substantive demand’ – one that is directly related to motivation or a resolution, in this case freedom to escape.
However, the crisis did not develop into a real hostage situation as no other demands were proffered for the release of the detained individual or for a large sum, a ransom order. And we should not lose track of this very point, for it communicates some very important information. Likewise, an ‘expressive demand’ will provide insight into the subjects’ emotional status and behavior. While ‘Secondary demands’ made by a subject are not necessarily related to motivation, they are nonetheless, an important part of the resolution strategy.
A friend of mine once told me that the involvement of bank employees in robberies is a well-manicured practice in Guyana, having started somewhere around 1969. He said back then, the bank employee will pass the pertinent information directly to a group of robbers, who will attack the unsuspecting customer and steal the money, after which the bank employee will receive 25% of the loot. Given the degree of sophistication available today, one can only imagine how syndicated this practice has become.
Guyana is quickly becoming the go-to country in the region. However, most Guyanese, especially those in the law enforcement community; have not yet acquired the psychological posture, or is possessed of the institutional capacity to deal with the wide array of problems, which the various cultures of the new arrivals will present in isolation, let alone, its combined transnational effects. The police will very soon be faced with crimes committed by outfits of several different nationalities and cultures.
The employees at the bank must be commended for maintaining their composure, but it is the first responders who should come in for high praise, in this case the onsite security detail, since very often in these types of situations, onsite security officers become the first causalities. The security officers did not only contain the crisis well, but prevented it from becoming an ‘active shooter’ or full blown hostage incident, which was well within in the bounds of possibility. Like many observers across Guyana, this author is of the view, that the Hip Hop subculture to which many young Guyanese subscribe to and participate in has come full circle, and is now taking its toll.
Clairmont Featherstone
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
Mar 28, 2024
Minister Ramson challenge athletes to better last year’s performance By Rawle Toney Kaieteur Sports – Guyana’s 23-member contingent for the CARIFTA Games in Grenada is set to depart the...B.V. Police Station Kaieteur News – The Beterverwagting Police Station, East Coast Demerara (ECD) will be reconstructed... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News – In the face of escalating global environmental challenges, water scarcity and... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]