Accusing the police of complicity in crimes, hundreds of Corentyne residents yesterday burnt tyres and blocked roads forcing the Home Affairs Minister to make a hasty visit and up to last night demonstrators were still out tending fires.

(Adrian Smith photos)

The protest at Tain bore the hallmarks of similar eruptions in the Berbice area in recent years and Home Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira met with protesters at various points and a grievance committee was to be set up.

Number 19 Village under attack from bandits  Thieves-S-police-station

Police Commissioner Winston Felix yesterday told Stabroek News the protest had its genesis in several allegations made by residents about policemen. Felix said an investigation would be conducted into the allegations and he vowed to take stern action once any rank was found culpable.

Speaking to the media yesterday, Felix said close to 1,500 persons took to the streets where they burnt tyres and blocked the main road with a low-bed truck. Around 5 pm yesterday afternoon he confirmed however that the low-bed was removed and that Teixeira and Deputy Commissioner Responsible for Operations, Edward Wills along with other senior ranks in the 'B' division were holding meetings with the protesters. Teixeira is to return to the area on Monday.

From around 5 am yesterday, the protestors stockpiled discarded tyres to keep the fires going and had also dragged an abandoned trailer from the dump and placed it across the roadway.

Meanwhile, the graduation at UG's Tain Campus scheduled for today has been postponed until further notice.

Hundreds of people who were travelling to and from the Corentyne area yesterday, including Guysuco workers, sales persons, market vendors, lawyers and doctors, were stranded on either side of the conflagration and unrest. Two hearses carrying bodies were unable to pass; one turned back but the other remained, hoping the residents would put out the fire and clear the roads. A GPL disconnection crew van was among the vehicles waiting.

Hundreds of protesting residents of Tain, Port Mourant and neighbouring villages stood on the road airing their grievances as the tyres blazed and smoked. The police were visible but they kept their distance.

According to reports, there were four robberies none of which had seen any arrests made. And residents said yesterday that they had caught "a couple of black clothes policemen in the act of stealing". The police were unable to confirm this.

Around 7 am yesterday, some market vendors with perishable goods successfully carried their belongings on their heads past the blockade as no vehicles could pass. However, by 9.30 am the entire road was covered with fire and no one could even walk past. The residents had blocked the main road between Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant and Tain at the bridge which passes over a large canal. They also destroyed two smaller bridges over canals some distance away from the road, preventing persons from walking over.

The protestors, who included school children, bore slogans such as "Give us guns. We will protect ourselves." And "We want police patrol, not bandit patrol"

Around 11 am, the Home Affairs Minister arrived to help resolve the problem. The minister made her way onto a tractor which already had a microphone and speaker attached. She apologized to the residents for not visiting them at an earlier date as she said she was just acting Home Affairs Minister at the time. She noted that the crime situation was a serious one and then listened as a number of residents spoke about those officers they felt were corrupt.

 Integrity

One representative of the residents of Bloomfield, Port Mourant, Tain and other neighbouring areas on the Corentyne told the minister that they wanted the police from Albion and Whim removed. Police from Whim were removed on a previous occasion when residents protested. He said the residents wanted policeman David Ramnarine returned to the area as when he was around crime was down.

One woman who was robbed told the minister that she recognized black clothes policemen as the robbers because when she saw the thieves from the pants down they had on black boots and pants like those type of officers.

Others told about the police searching the pockets of persons they arrested and robbing them of items.

They said that sometimes when they called the police the telephones would ring out. They said that residents who had no money received no help from the police.

Responding, Teixeira told the residents that someone had made a proposal to have an inquiry and that in order to do so they must gather evidence and persons needed to give names of those officers who they felt were corrupt for a proper investigation to be carried out. She further stated that to remove all the police from the region would leave the door open to dangerous criminals.

She added that changes would have to be made and noted the need for a community policing group with persons of integrity.

It was then agreed that a meeting would be held at the Tain Primary School to address some of the issues raised.

The meeting began with the minister, Regional Chairman of Region Six, Kumkarran Ramdass; Deputy Commissioner of Police, Wills; and Commander, C. Conway seated at the head table and residents sharing their various experiences.

 Hit-list

The residents were asked to give specific evidence as to when and where they had been robbed, raped or compelled to give money to members of the police force for services. However, as they began to do so, someone stood up and announced: "if people start to give evidence them names gon be on the police hit-list".

The minister then asked that a committee be formed to look into this but chaos erupted as some residents were vociferously not in favour with some of the nominees named.

Next, the minister managed to get consensus among some of the residents at the meeting that the fire would be put out. However, when word of this got to the protestors on the road, they threw more tyres onto the fire.

Members of the Guyana Fire Service who were standing by then attempted to put out the blaze. But the protestors relieved them of their hose and added it to the fire.

Protestors told Stabroek News that the bandits tended to target people who arrived from abroad. Up to yesterday afternoon fires continued to burn on the road. However, some persons were able to move across on both sides of the fire via a bridge.

 Running away

Three armed bandits early Thursday morning attacked the Edwin Parsaram Gas Station at Port Mourant and escaped with some $400,000. This was one of the incidents that sparked the unrest. Police responded but did not to shoot at the criminals as they were near to the gas station and they said they feared an explosion.

Owner of the gas station, Pamela Kissoon and other residents lamented the action by the police and tension grew.

Commenting on the incident, Felix said ranks responded to the report of a robbery on Thursday morning. He said a mobile patrol was dispatched to the area and when they were about 75 metres away from the gas station they saw three men running away. Felix said according to reports some of the ranks wanted to shoot at the fleeing bandits, but they were restrained because of the close proximity of the gas station.

He said when the police arrived at the gas station, instead of going after the bandits they decided to go into the building to untie a security guard and a pump attendant. He said this action angered residents who felt that the police should have given chase. This is also a frequent criticism of the police in other parts of the country such as Georgetown.

According to the commissioner, because of the police action, some residents are alleging that the bandits themselves were policemen and ranks on the patrol were trying to shield them. "But I am saying now if the residents can identify the suspects as being a policeman or policemen we will deal with them condignly," Felix declared.

Asked about a report that protesters had detained a few policemen caught stealing, Felix said there were no such reports. He said the only persons who were detained were the guard and the attendant. He however acknowledged that there was a report of a policeman found handcuffed at the robbery scene.

On their operation yesterday, the commissioner said there was no need to send back-up ranks from Georgetown to handle the situation.

Crime in Berbice has always been a problem for the police force and recently there was a shake-up in the administration following daily robberies. Assistant commissioner, Ivelaw Whittaker was removed as Commander and Cecil Conway took over. There was a brief lull in crime. Felix said there had been some improvements in the general crime situation in the division. He told reporters that crime was usually very low in West Berbice and New Amsterdam. "There are now-and-then attacks in these areas but not many. The situation in the West Berbice and New Amsterdam is okay," Felix said.

However, he noted that criminal activity on the Lower Corentyne has always been an issue. Felix said it was only on Wednesday there was a discussion on the issue. He said they have mobile patrols working but acknowledged that the situation needs to improve.

Yesterday's protest was reminiscent of the August 16, 2001 demonstration that started outside of the Berbice Anti-Smuggling Squad (BASS) headquarters at Corriverton following the killing of three men by BASS. This protest continued and turned violent on August 17 when persons inside the BASS headquarters opened fire on the protesters who had been stoning the building. Two persons died as a result of the shooting from within BASS while three others died when an ambulance transporting persons injured in the accident overturned on the way to the New Amsterdam Hospital.

President Bharrat Jagdeo, who was out of the country then as he is now, held a meeting with residents on his return. An investigation was to be launched into the BASS incidents but it is unclear whether this was done and no report was ever released.