SWAT Unit ranks have all denied ever speaking with the Guyana Times and expressed concerns over claims in its Monday edition attributing certain comments to its members.The police ranks distanced themselves from the article during a meeting with Assistant Commissioner Operations, David Ramnarine and Second in Command of the Police Force Operations Department, Senior Superintendent Kurleigh Simon.
In a statement to the media yesterday afternoon, the Guyana Police Force said that the meeting between the two senior officers and the SWAT Unit ranks followed the claims made in the Guyana Times article.
“All the ranks denied speaking to the Guyana Times about the matters mentioned in the article,” a police press release noted.
The administration of the force also made it clear that besides its senior ranks who would have met with the SWAT Unit members in the past, there is no evidence that anyone from the previous Administration met with the ranks and made promises or had any engagements with them as the false article sought to portray.
The release reminded that much emphasis has been placed on the proper training and equipping of the ranks of the SWAT Unit in order to ensure the effective performance of their duties and that approach continues.
The Guyana Times has in recent weeks been accused of fabricating stories which fit into a broad opposition agenda to create an impression that the present Administration has been doing little to address the issues of crime and security.
The newspaper would usually play up their purportedly false articles as lead stories on the front page of the newspaper and this is repeated over at the sister news outlet, Evening News.