-At early-morning wreath-laying ceremony
THE GUYANA Police Force (GPF), as part of its 171st Anniversary celebration, yesterday morning held a wreath-laying ceremony in honour of the 72 policemen killed in the line of duty between 1979 and 2010.
The ceremony took place at the Monument to Fallen Heroes in the Police Officer’s Mess Compound at the Force’s Eve Leary headquarters here in the city.
The programme got underway with the ‘Laying of Wreaths’ by relatives of the fallen policemen,  Home Affairs Minister, Mr. Clement Rohee,  Commissioner of Police, Mr. Henry Greene, and  representatives of the various Divisions and Branches of the Guyana Police Force.
The list of deceased ranks started with Constable 0407 John Shepherd, who was shot and killed in 1979 on Laing Avenue, West Ruimveldt by wanted man, Simon McPhoy, and ended with the latest casualty, Constable 20740 Baldat Becramsingh, who was shot dead by bandits mere weeks ago at Lamaha Springs, La Penitence, Georgetown.
Noticeably absent from the list were the names of Assistant Superintendent, Ivelaw Murray and Constable Kelvin Shepherd, whose tragic deaths at their Berbice duty station are still under investigation.
At the end of the ceremony, the relatives of the deceased policemen were invited to breakfast at the Police Officer’s Mess.
Meanwhile, an obviously distressed Becramsingh’s father told the media that though he agreed to attend the ceremony to lay a wreath for his son, he was still having a hard time coming to terms with his son’s sudden demise, particularly the brutal manner in which he was killed.
So distraught was he, he could barely contain himself as he spoke of his son.