– Acting Chief Constable says

ACTNG Chief Constable Laurel Gittens has said it’s embarrassing when constabulary officers, including high-ranking ones, are constantly being accused of demanding bribes from stallholders and vendors.

She was speaking after the Council’s most recent statutory meeting at City Hall where Mayor Patricia Chase-Green again brought up the issue, citing several complaints, and even threatening to release the names of the officers in question.
Gittens is acting for Chief Constable Andrew Foo, who recently proceeded on 42 days’ vacation leave.

She told the Guyana Chronicle that she is to meet with constabulary officers soon, and will bring up the issue of bribery again with them. “Sometimes it can be very embarrassing to hear that your officers, even your senior officers, are involved in this kind of thing,” Ms Gittens stated.

She, noted, however, that the errant officers are unable to be disciplined because the complainants often refuse to proceed with the matters.

“When we engage those persons from time to time and we try to get statements from them so we can take the necessary action against these officers, they say all we want you to do is to warn them,” she said.

“Some of them might be allegations; some might be true, but when the time comes for us to have disciplinary measures in place, those same persons are being remorseful towards those officers. Unless those individuals give us their names, we won’t be able to take the necessary actions or disciplinary measures,” she added.

Just last month, the mayor accused the Constabulary Department of unlawfully demanding money from store owners and other vendors. She said she was disgusted by such reports involving constables and even senior members of the Constabulary.
Chase-Green reported that she was in possession of many allegations of this nature, but that the victims are afraid to come forward because of their fear of being victimised.
The constables are accused of demanding money for the space that vendors use outside of the store for their mannequins. In one instance, Chase-Green said a vendor who objected was even removed from his vending spot and replaced.

A van with several constables also swooped down on the owner of a caravan and threatened to remove it if he did not pay up, the mayor related.
Vendors at the various municipal markets in Georgetown continue to complain about the harassment they regularly experience at the hands of City Constables, but even so, they prefer not to make official reports, as they claim that those in higher authority also accept bribes.

Chief Constable Foo had told the Guyana Chronicle in the past that those vendors who are affected by bribery on the part of the constabulary officers ought to lodge official reports, and he had guaranteed that such matters will be investigated.
“But they don’t come in; there is an agreement between the vendors and officers, but whenever the officers have to act, the vendors come up with all sorts of allegations,” Foo said, adding: “People who give and receive a bribe can also be charged. But no one is coming forward to make official reports; they go to the politicians instead to lodge their complaints, but that’s not right.

“So it remains just an allegation if no one comes in. Why do the vendors do business at the level of a constabulary officer?”