RECENTLY, Commissioner of Police, Mr Leroy Brumell ordered a complete removal of the ranks at the Number 51 Police Station. This latest move came as a result of the negative reports emanating from residents of the adjoining areas that the police were either in collusion with criminal elements, or were slothful and negligent in their response to reports of criminal activities there. In either case, the police are to be blamed for many an evil deed committed on the Corentyne Coast, and the villagers have become fed up with this lawless group of lawmen. Enough is enough!
I must pause here to commend Mr Brumell for his prompt action to a serious and volatile situation, which shows that he is really concerned about crime, and that he heard and fixed the problem in a timely manner.
Once again, it shows astute and exemplary leadership by the ‘Top Cop’. But let me delve a little deeper into the Corentyne affair. If you may recall, in the late 1990s, similar accusations were levelled against the police in that area, and a similar standoff resulted.
In that instance, the aggrieved residents descended on the police and stoned the Police Station. The rogue cops, in return, gave the protesters a fiery response, and persons were brutally gunned down. Note my words, “gunned down.” I deliberately used these words to prove a point I’m about to raise. Instead of fixing the problem, the ‘Top Brass’ of the GPF were slothful themselves, and allowed the situation to spin out of control, where lives were lost in the ensuing confrontation. Certainly, there would not have been any loss of life if only the Commissioner had acted in a timely manner.
Mr Brumell, who was a member of the Police Force at the time, would have learnt from that experience that “a stitch in time saves nine”. He got the message that people who are hurt because of legitimate reasons, should be given a listening ear, with a view to fixing the problem. Problems of this nature should never be allowed to fester.
Now, back to my statement and the main idea of my discussion about that same time there were violent street protests going on in Georgetown. When I say violent, I am talking about grenades being thrown at the police from the so-called protesters. They were violently reacting to the election of Mrs. Jagan to the presidency.
So, here we have it: Two groups of protesters: One on the Corentyne who had ‘legit’ reasons for their protest — if I may add, their call was for the police to stick to police work, and not to be engaged in banditry.
On the other hand, those in the City were on a violent political campaign to get the democratically-elected government out. But far more shocking was to see the way those in Georgetown were treated, and in a year-long standoff at that. They were treated with utmost care and consideration; with unending patience coming from the police, unlike in the Corentyne, where they were met with a hail of bullets.
Further to the “eyepass” was the brutal slaying of peaceful members of a PPP-held Congress that year on the Corentyne. They were gunned down by “unknown gunmen”. We are now in receipt of information that the gunmen did their nefarious deed, and made good their escape by sea, having disembarked at Lichfield on the West Coast of Berbice, from where they proceeded safely into Buxton.
With the information we are now furnished, those so-called gunmen could have been rogue cops operating under the guise of bandits. Or they were facilitated by some politically-motivated cops stationed on the Corentyne.
My reason for saying this is that the aforementioned story slipped out of the mouth of a former cop who worked in the Corentyne area while we were in conversation one day.
I must hasten to a close here, but I promise you, my readers, another discussion, where I shall bring to you more shocking revelations of the way Berbicians are viewed in the eyes of a centrally-based Police Force.

Neil Adams