Police, army operations yielding state of emergency benefits
-Luncheon
Stabroek News
October 4, 2002
Cabinet feels that the achievements of a state of emergency are being provided in the context of the increased army and police operations and activities and such a proclamation would not make a difference without “enforcement”.
So said Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon at his weekly post-cabinet briefing held at the Office of the President on Wednesday.
Asked whether cabinet considered imposing a curfew or limited curfews or a state of emergency in view of the current crime situation, Dr Luncheon said that there was a discussion on the legislative aspect of the state of emergency and in this sense the possibility of a proclamation. Cabinet, he said, examined this issue in Georgetown, the whole of Guyana, and isolated regions in its entirety.
Cabinet felt that “in a sense what was being done and the maximum utilisation of the army, the police, the law enforcement agencies, was not likely at this time to be enhanced by a declaration or a proclamation of a state of emergency.”
A proclamation of a state of emergency would not enhance the work of the joint services at present, Luncheon said, noting that the administration had mobilised the police and army to the fullest extent. He added “you would not believe that a miracle would occur because a state of emergency had been declared. A state of emergency at the bottom line calls for enforcement.”
He said that no one should believe that at a time like this when laws against larceny, murder, shooting and killing can be disobeyed with impunity that the state of emergency would be obeyed.
During a review on the crime situation, he said that Cabinet spent a long time on it, and it was becoming even more complicated.
Home Affairs Minister Ronald Gajraj who briefed Cabinet noted that the joint services were continuing their operations mainly on the East Coast of Demerara and in Georgetown. Those operations, he said, have been upgraded with the introduction of cordon and search operations which was a move from the customary mode of defence and crime prevention and to some extent to a more aggressive mode of operation.
Cabinet, he said, had noted the onset of kidnapping and the continued operations of the criminals and the marked increase in otherwise petty crimes being committed under arms.
Cabinet noted, too, he said, the increasing concerns by the business community, “as apart from the PPP/Civic administration and its law enforcement arm, it is precisely the business community that is being targeted by the criminal elements.”
The issue of confidentiality was of some importance, he said, as the Saturday cordon and search in Buxton proved to be not as successful as was expected. He said that arms were not found and there was a significant absence of the younger men in the area.
This occurred in a particular area where criminal elements were noted to congregate. He said that one could assume the worst that they were tipped off so that arms were secreted out of the area and young men and criminals all removed themselves from the neighbourhood. There may be other explanations, he added. On the issue of the shooting to death of four persons at Natoo’s liquor store, last week Dr Luncheon said that it would be improper and extremely reckless not to infer that the attack was politically motivated. It was well known that Natoo’s was a home away from home, “a favourite watering hole” for ministers of the government, senior government officials and their guests to frequent the place, Dr Luncheon remarked. The Director of Public Prosecutions, Dennis Hanomansingh was injured in the attack. (Miranda La Rose)