Army reviewing Operation Tourniquet
Likely it will be expanded
Stabroek News
June 29, 2002

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The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is reviewing Operation Tourniquet, which it launched on June 5 in support of the police, with a view to extending it to other areas of the country.

Operation Tourniquet is being conducted jointly with the police on the East Coast Demerara to address the unacceptable level of violent crime in that area.

The army and the police operate roadblocks, control points and patrol the general area.

Briefing members of the press yesterday at the Officers’ Mess, Camp Ayanganna, Colonel Andrew Pompey described the operation to date as a success as it had brought about a reduction of crime between Lusignan and Enmore on the East Coast.

He cited the arrest of Anthony Charles, the detention of Kerwin Jarvis, following the surveillance of a house and the apprehension and detention of a stolen vehicle. (See other story on page 10.)

He said too that the operation has allowed the police to patrol areas north of Buxton and expected soon to have them patrolling the southern part of the village.

Another success of the operations, though intangible, was the sense of security being felt by the community as a result of the presence of the army.

Col Pompey, however, bemoaned the presence of a "fringe group" which he said is bent on maintaining a state of lawlessness in Buxton and preventing its return to normality.

He said that after the arrest of Charles and Jarvis "we noted the agitation of community members by a known political activist, organised and not spontaneous protests by persons from Paradise and other areas outside Buxton. We also noted an orchestrated campaign to malign the GDF, abuse of our soldiers on patrol and efforts to provoke a response from our ranks on deployment. We observed that these acts are not totally supported by residents of Buxton but rather sustained by fringe elements that have rejected the traditional moral authority of village elders."

Col Pompey said that the fringe elements comprised some persons in Buxton whose activities attracted criminal elements from outside the community.

He called on the community members, the majority of whom, he said, were law-abiding to reject these elements and reclaim their community.

Col Pompey said that these elements had to be ostracised and dealt with by the community.

Police Commissioner (ag) Floyd McDonald at a press conference yesterday reported, "as a consequence of a joint operation between the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force to retrieve a stolen car, certain criminal elements again dug up a portion of the road in that area (Buxton)."

The commissioner appealed to "those persons who indulge in this negative practice to desist from destroying public property and breaking the law, and assist us in our effort to ensure law and order."

Responding to questions about the alleged presence in the Buxton community of the five February 23 prison escapees who reports say live in safe houses, Colonel Gordon Benn asserted that army patrols of the area from Lusignan to Enmore including the backlands have uncovered no criminal activity or the presence of any criminals in the area.

Another officer, Colonel Bruce Lovell said that in the army’s area of operations no building was sacrosanct and once intelligence was developed about a building appropriate action would be taken.

Col Pompey said that since its deployment to the East Coast, the army has enjoyed cordial relations with the residents there despite the efforts of a few persons bent on promoting lawlessness.

Responding to reports that a recent incident at Buxton had been sparked by the army’s mistreatment of a youth from the area, Col Benn asserted that the reports were inaccurate. He said that the army had audio and videotapes that would give the lie to the report.

Also, he asserted that the troops exercised tremendous restraint in the face of provocation and that their behaviour was testimony to their professionalism and training.