THE Guyana Police Force is sending a strong message to supporters of political parties and other persons. that should they breach the law they will be arrested. The police made it clear that those who conduct themselves lawfully would be protected.The police issued the release yesterday after the APNU+AFC Coalition, by way of a press statement, stated that they received information that the police were looking to engage in mass arrests, and of an unusually large number of persons. The police have since dismissed those claims as false.
According to the APNU+AFC release, they were reliably informed that the mass arrests was in an effort to prevent certain persons from voting countrywide, while stating that the practice was especially expected to be concentrated in the Police “A” Division, Georgetown.
The Georgetown area is considered a stronghold for the People’s National Congress Reform, which has now teamed up with the Alliance For Change, for the elections on Monday.
The coalition, in its press statement, called on police ranks to act professionally and not allow themselves to be used as pawns in a politically motivated move. The Guyana Police Force, for its part, through its press statement, said that all members of the force were given strict orders to act in a professional manner, and according to the organisation, they have been doing so since the start of the elections season and will continue in that way after elections.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that Elections Day, Monday 11th, will be a national holiday. If the Guyana Police Force arrests anyone for an offence during the course of today, Saturday, or tomorrow, Monday, those persons will remain in police custody until Tuesday, depending on the nature of the offence.
The police, however, have the power to grant station bail to persons arrested, once their offences are not murder, fraud, causing death and other serious offences.
On Friday the Guyana Police Force did have mass operations, but was restricted to testing its elections readiness, and the operations only involved ranks of the Police Force.
The release by the police, in response to claims of the coalition, said that it finds the claims very surprising, since the coalition met with the Commissioner of Police and other senior ranks in March, where several issues were ventilated.
According to the police, the numbers of the Commissioner of Police and all divisional commanders were also shared with the coalition members, and they were advised that they can make use of the numbers to contact the senior officers, once they have any concerns pertaining to security, law and order.