Police Corporal, Shavon Marks who is fingered in the recent discovery of an AK-47 rifle is denying that he escaped lawful custody insisting that he is on sick leave and has produced a medical certificate to cover his absence from the force.
In a statement issued on Thursday morning the police confirmed that Corporal 18404 Marks who was under investigation in connection with a high-powered rifle and who was under confinement at Brickdam Police Station escaped and all efforts are on stream to locate him.
“The Force has noted certain adverse insinuations in the public domain, facilitated by certain sections of the media but wishes to assure that this case is not being treated differently from other cases where members of the Force are alleged to have committed grave offences, as our history is replete with examples of members of the Force being placed before the Courts for serious crimes,” the statement read. “It must be emphasised, for the information of the less informed members of the Media, that members of the Force who are under investigation for various offences are placed under close arrest for a period of seventy-two (72) hours and thereafter under open arrest, in a confined/restricted manner until the legal advice is obtained. The disappearance of this Subordinate Officer, based on initial enquiries seemed to have occurred sometime on Sunday night last but was officially reported to Police Headquarters about 1500h Wednesday. In the circumstances, the Office of Professional Responsibility has launched an investigation, as directed,” the statement added.

However, Marks told the Guyana Chronicle from his Berbice home on that he is not on the run; instead he says he is on fourteen days sick leave which was issued to him by a Registered Medical Officer. According to him standard procedures were followed in that an extract was made and the relevant messages were sent to Brickdam Police Station. The Tactical Service Unit rank told this newspaper that last Friday he was placed on open arrest and was told to go home and return the following day. On his return he was told to report to the station every day. Consequently, he enquired about accommodation and was told that he has to make use to what was available. The policeman claimed that on Monday he had cause to visit a doctor who issued him a medical certificate granting him 14 days sick leave for his medical condition. Marks said he is being penalised because he had a verbal confrontation with a senior rank.
Earlier this week Guyana Chronicle reported that the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) who was accused of smuggling an AK-47 assault rifle out of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) compound last week will not be criminally charged but he will be dealt with departmentally. The was according to Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, who told reporters on Monday at Police Officers’ Training Centre that the officer in question is still on the job, pending the outcome of legal advice since it is his third matter to engage the GPF. He is also being investigated in two traffic related matters, one of which was caught on video and went viral on social media. According to the Crime Chief, detectives are also awaiting the return of the file from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on this same matter.
Blanhum related that other ranks, including, Corporal Marks were placed under close arrest which expired after 72-hours, and as such they were released. The Corporal, he said will also be charged departmentally but the lone civilian is expected to make his first court appearance soon. Blanhum also told reporters that so far, they have been unsuccessful in tracing the origin of the weapon but the probe continues to ascertain where the AK-47 was obtained. On February 28, ranks from the CID Headquarters conducted an operation and during same, a motor car driven by a civilian was intercepted and an AK-47 rifle was found. Subsequently, the detectives acting on further information contacted four ranks from the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) and placed them under close arrest pending a probe. The investigation was initiated when a private vehicle drove into the CID compound and stayed there overnight. This was observed and the vehicle and its occupants were put under police surveillance. When the vehicle attempted to exit the CID compound, a search was carried out and the weapon was found.