By Daniel DaCosta
Stabroek News
June 8, 2001

As calm returns to the Corentyne, the 40-member committee selected by protestors to advance their concerns following a meeting with President Bharrat Jagdeo on Wednesday will again meet the Head of State today on how to rev up the crime fight.
The committee members are drawn from Fyrish, Kilcoy, Chesney, Albion, Williamsburg, Rose Hall and Port Mourant. Today's meeting will be held at Guysuco's Albion Estate Training Centre.
A source close to the meeting, from which the media was debarred, told this newspaper that the President promised to provide two vehicles to be stationed at Albion and the Rose Hall Town Police Outpost specifically for night patrols. According to the source President Jagdeo announced that two Quick Reaction Squads are to be dispatched to the area immediately while apart from Albion the entire staff at the Rose Hall Outpost is to be removed. Stabroek News has been reliably informed that the entire staff at Albion and Rose Hall has already been transferred to other Divisions including a senior Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officer who was based at Whim.
The committee was established following four days of protests at Albion in the wake of a spate of armed and violent attacks on several Lower Corentyne families. During these attacks men, women and children were beaten and millions of dollars in cash and jewellery stolen. Villagers including men, women and children took to the streets last Friday demanding police protection from the marauding criminals. The target of their action was the Albion Police Station and its staff. On Monday evening, some in the crowd threw Molotov cocktails at the police station and hurled bricks. The police in an attempt to stave off the attack opened fire shooting one man dead and injuring several others.
Yesterday, residents near to the police station chipped in to help with the repainting and repair of the battered structure.
Some observers are of the view that the protests and the ensuing violent acts could have been averted if regional and party officials were abreast of what was transpiring in the villages over the past two months. Others have expressed scepticism over some of the demands made by protestors and the likelihood of them being met. Among these demands are: that vigilante groups should be assigned one weapon each and the establishment of a militia or home guard in each village to replace present vigilante groups.
Meanwhile, the funeral of Mohamed Shamshudeen Haniff who was shot on Monday night outside of the Albion Police Station as protestors attempted to torch the building is expected to take place today at Albion.
Kemdass Raghoo, an ex-policeman of Albion who told Stabroek News he was "speaking on behalf of the Berbice community" said "the people who protested over the past few days wish to record their thanks to President Bharrat Jagdeo for the professional manner in which he dealt with the situation on Wednesday and the concerns of the people. We are pleased with the response we received and hope the President will visit us more regularly bringing with him the Minister of Home Affairs and the Commissioner of Police. We are also calling on the Members of Parliament (MPs) in the region to pay heed to the concerns of Berbicians." According to Raghoo "we wish to assure the President that he has our full support in the fight against violent crimes. We will also try our utmost not to start another protest and will inform him in advance of any concerns we have or irregularities in the area."
Other issues discussed by the committee at its Wednesday afternoon meeting included the recruitment of eligible Corentyne youths into the Guyana Police Force and the involvement of more individuals in Community Policing Groups. Commander of "B" Division, Asst. Commissioner Paul Slowe told this newspaper earlier this week that the Police Force is undermanned and this was affecting its capacity to effectively execute its responsibilities to the public.