Best says…
– but admits very serious breaches of SOPs discovered
– culpable ranks will be court martialled, demoted or dismissed
CHIEF of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Commodore Gary Best has confirmed that the Intelligence Unit of the Army had recovered pyrotechnics and ammunition from the accommodation of several Officers, Warrant Officers and Non Commissioned Officers on bases at Camp Ayanganna and other hinterland locations. He, however, disclosed that no guns were discovered during the searches; that the Army had not lost any ammunition, neither had any evidence been found that there had been complicity among the offenders to remove the items from these facilities.
“There was/is no conspiracy,” Best declared.
He explained that “Officers will have ammunition for shooting while training with Companies and Platoons. After this training is completed, the unused ammunition should be returned to the ammunition depot within a certain time. These Officers and ranks breached the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) by keeping the ammunition in excess of that time.”
He further explained that the SOPs are compliance mechanisms.
“But these SOPs are peopled by human beings. So obviously, there was some breakdown in the supervisory mechanism down the chain of command to ensure that the related SOPs were enforced immediately after the use of ammunition. I am conceding that. I am also conceding that our Intelligence Unit discovered these very serious breaches, brought it to our attention and we are doing something about it.”
He denied suggestions that the items may have been retained by the Officers and ranks for sinister purposes.
“I would not say that the ammunition and other items were being kept for unsavory purposes. It was just a clear breach of SOPs at the end of the training exercise,” Best stressed.
He assured that the discoveries of items in the barrack rooms and camps were not of such proportions that it would interfere with the integrity of the Force but, in fact, may be positive.
“The disciplinary action we intend to take will send a strong signal to members that they must comply with the SOPs in a timely manner when dealing with firearms and ammunition at the end of training exercises. It will improve the supervision and management,” he said.
The ammunition and other items which should have been lodged in the stores after use were discovered in surprise searches at Army bases at Ayanganna, Seweyo and other locations, the Chief of Staff disclosed.
He said the raids were executed after an internal audit revealed that the accounting procedure for ammunition and other training materials were not being done in accordance of the SOPs.
He disclosed that a grenade was recovered but it was not a live grenade.
“It was not a fragmentation grenade. It was a ‘dud’ used for training purposes and it should have been returned to the ammunition Depot from where it would have been retrieved for further training uses when necessary.”
The ammunition recovered were live and blank rounds of the 7.62 and 9mm caliber normally used by the Army.
In excess of twenty Officers and NCOs had been found in possession of ammunition and other military kit, which should have been returned to the approved storage areas after the recent Home Guard training exercise, the most senior rank netted being a Captain.
Investigations are ongoing into each instance and disciplinary action, the Chief of Staff disclosed, will range from court martials to demotions to dismissals.