FEMALE students of the Georgetown School of Nursing are accusing Criminal Investigation Department (CID) ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) of “touching them inappropriately” during a search for $43,000 lost from a coil of over $70,000 that a student had reportedly collected from a money transfer service.

The students are accusing the administration of the nursing school of causing them embarrassment and humiliation.
When the Guyana Chronicle visited the nursing school yesterday afternoon, the locked gates of the facility were being manned by a security guard.
The students said they were unaware that another student had misplaced her money. One student told this publication that it was not until some students ventured downstairs that they realised the gates to facility were locked, denying passage to persons entering or leaving the premises. Enquirers were informed that the administration of the school was awaiting the arrival of CID ranks from the GPF.
One student told this publication that when a certain female police officer entered the classroom, she began to point out selected students on whom she conducted a through search, before she searched other students. That student is alleging that vaginas and breasts were touched in a manner that can best be described as “inappropriate”.
That student explained that her fellow student who claimed to have lost money said she had placed the money in her locker, which is shared by three persons; the other students were accordingly curious to find out what would have caused them to be subjected to the kind of search and embarrassment they endured yesterday.
Because of the way the search was being conducted, coupled with the fact that the alleged loss of the money did not occur in their section, an entire batch of students, numbering 95, refused to be searched by the female officer. They signed a document to that effect and left it in the school’s office.
That very batch of students allegedly also informed tutors that they would not be staying in the building until the search was conducted, because the money was not missing from their department.
Our informant said that the 95 students who signed the paper indicated that they would not subject themselves to any search, nor would they stay in the building while the search was under way. Moreover, they indicated that they were warned by the senior tutor that their refusal to subject themselves to the search would be dealt with accordingly on Monday.
The students divulged to this publication their fear of being victimised by the nursing school administration, but indicated notwithstanding that they will be turning up for classes as per normal on Monday, to see what would eventuate.
The angry student who spoke in representation of her colleagues said they are all “big people who dwell at the facility”, and should accordingly have been approached about the situation before the police were called in.
The students are also of the view that once the school was going to take the approach it did (locking the gates and confining persons to one area), the administration should have communicated to the persons involved the necessity of the move, none of which was done on Friday.
Because of the lockdown at the facility, students were unable to fulfil off-campus engagements and assignments.
The school was scheduled to be dismissed as per normal at 3pm, but that did not happen; and it was not until 16:00 hrs had passed that persons were allowed to leave the compound  after being subjected to the inhumane search.
Yesterday, this publication was directed to a woman who was identified as the administrator, and whose name was given only as “Sister Semple”. Asked to comment on the issue, the woman was very reluctant to say anything, opting instead to lecture this reporter about calling the Ministry of Health before showing up at the facility.
Asked about the amount of money that was missing, Sister Semple said initially that she was unaware of the amount, but challenged  the wisdom of involving the police in a cavity search of students without first ascertaining the extent of the loss, which might well turn out to be a mere $10 or $20, the woman indicated that the loss was substantial.
In the upper flat of the building, where the search was ongoing, several tutors allegedly watched as the police conducted searches, even as some of the female students were reduced to tears by the manner in which they were being humiliated.
And despite the amount of students present and the nature of the search, it was done in full view of at least one male police officer, who positioned himself in the doorway of the room, and refused to excuse himself from the proceedings. The door was also left open, diminishing privacy during the searches.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Mr. Leslie Cadogan, was very upset at the development when he was informed at approximately 17:45 hrs,almost four hours after the incident. He said he was not aware of the development and moreover was not aware that the police were called in to conduct searches at one of the ministry’s facilities.
According to Mr. Cadogan, someone will have some hard questions to answer, since the standard operating procedures (SOP) were breached. Informed about the misgivings of those students who refused to subject themselves to the search, Cadogan said they will not be discriminated against, since he is the person to make such decisions.