– Calls on authorities to assist in preventing clashes between security force, fishermen

PRITIPAUL Singh Investments Inc. (PSI) lost over $21M in valuables last year to theft at their 1,400ft wharf at Mc Doom, East Bank Demerara.

The company has a minimum of 30 fishing vessels on a daily basis, and reports are that the vessels are being plundered by local fishermen who flock the area to steal under the guise that they are fishing.

Corporate Secretary of PSI Vishnu Panday, has called on the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and other relevant authorities, to address the issue as the company grapples with its loss.
The call was made in the aftermath of former PSI security guard, Marlon Callender, being freed recently after he was found not guilty of killing 45-year-old fisherman Envil Pollard called “Elvis” or “Rastaman.”

Callender was acquitted following more than one hour of deliberations by a mixed 12- member jury before Justice Sandil Kissoon, at the High Court.
The fisherman was shot during a confrontation at the PSI Wharf at Mc Doom. Pollard was shot to the neck and groin with a shotgun. The incident occurred on January 9, 2015.
However, in order to prevent such an event from ever recurring PSI is asking for the authorities to intervene and prevent any further confrontation between the local fishermen, who are accused of colluding with staff to pilfer.

Panday said that as of April 2018, the company has lost $7M in valuables that were stolen from fishing vessels and the company.

“Whenever our boats come in with fish you would always find that at that time the small boats increase, and it’s virtually impossible to monitor all the vessels and see everything that is happening,” Panday said.

He said that the company has placed signboards and used loudspeakers to ask the vessels to keep their distance from the company’s fishing vessels and wharf, but to no avail.
Underscoring that he has spoken to officials of MARAD and the police on many occasions about the issue while seeking assistance, Panday said the company is pleading for help to avoid a clash between the company’s security forces and the fishermen.
Reflecting on the unfortunate 2015 incident, Panday said, “the loss of a life and sufferings

from incarceration are not [things] we can be happy about, it is a very sad state of affairs, and to avoid any clashes from ever happening again we are asking for help.”
He explained that the company has 2,000 employees with NIS contributions and the company contributes to the GDP and taxes, and with consistent loss as a result of theft from local fishermen it is unconscionable for the company to accept such a position without seeking the intervention of the authorities.

Panday said that PSI does not want to wait until the situation reaches a catastrophic proportion then for it to be addressed.

“We keep losing generators, batteries, pumps, company supplies, fish and millions of dollars in equipment due to theft by the fishermen,” he said.
Panday noted the downtime of the vessels has not been factored in and if this is done the loss is tremendous.