Army defends patrols' response to crime
Searches require police presence
Stabroek News
October 13, 2002
The army is denying that its patrols have failed to come to the rescue of persons attacked on the East Coast but says searches of houses can only occur with police present.
A Lusignan resident claimed that one of the patrols was spotted nearby on the railway embankment while two men were shooting at her and others on Wednesday morning.
But a top army source subsequently said at 9:05 am that day, the army received a report that there was a robbery in the Coldingen area and deployed ranks from the operation centre at Buxton.
The official said one hour later, the army received another report of a female being robbed at Lusignan and while responding, encountered the perpetrators and gave chase.
The woman in question had told Stabroek News that residents tried to alert a nearby patrol during the shooting, but instead of rendering assistance, the soldiers continued further into the village, emerging some minutes later when the gunmen had already fled in the direction of Buxton.
The official is, however, contending that the patrol "came upon two men on a red motorcycle without number plates and pursued them. But the men turned south into Buxton and disappeared."
This newspaper understands that ranks dismounted and went into the area after the men and conducted several searches, but were unable to locate the men.
According to the official, it was quite possible that the men had pulled the cycle into a house. Stabroek News understands that since the police had not accompanied the soldiers, the GDF ranks could not search any of the houses.
In another instance, members of the Chester household charged that army ranks were close by at Buxton while a gang of gunmen torched their homes and shot at family members.
Defence Headquarters has pointed out, on several occasions, that "force is only used to suppress actual disturbances. Force is not used as a deterrent, as a reprisal or punishment." (Kim Lucas)