A Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) woman is alleging that the Police in the region has abused their power by placing her naked in the lock ups while her teenage daughter is also accusing police officers of assaulting her and placing her in the lock ups with adults.
Alicia Harry, 35, told this publication that she was arrested on Monday and placed in a cell at the Rose Hall Town Police Outpost without any clothing.
The mother of four told this publication that on Monday Police went to arrest her, alleging that she threw at bottle at a Guyana Police Force vehicle on Saturday evening damaging the windscreen. She said that she told officers that she has four daughters ages four, 11, 14 and 16 and if they detained her they will be left on their own at her Lot 44 Williamsburg, Rose Hall Town home.
The woman is claiming that the officers said that they had to conduct a search for drugs at the house. She said that she resisted the search and the officers began to assault her and two of her teenage daughters. In the end, herself, one of her daughters, along with her aunt and two cousins were arrested. She claimed that the two officers went to the upper flat saying that they did not need a warrant to search the house.
Neighbours told this publication that during the commotion a gunshot was fired, and they heard screaming.
One neighbour Wanita Bhagwandin explained that she heard a police officer telling the teenagers that he was going to shoot them on their feet if they did not walk.
“They start to cuss dem girls about they mother…they behave real nasty and bad. They had a New Amsterdam vehicle; the number for the station was on the door,” the neighbor explained.
Meanwhile, Harry said because of what happened at the house, she felt frustrated and she told the Police that she felt like taking her own life. According to the woman, her statement caused the Police to ask her to take off all her clothes and then she was placed in the lock ups naked.
Attorney-at-Law, Chandra Sohan, having heard of the woman’s situation on Monday attempted to secure station bail but was unsuccessful. He told this publication that he questioned the Police as why Harry was not handcuffed to a chair or bench in the view of Police Officers at the Outpost if they considered her suicidal. He said he was told that the officer who was responsible for taking her to the station was not there at the time and there was nothing that could have been done to change how she was accommodated.
“We all know how the lockups are and to have someone in there without clothing could lead to other health issues, but it seems as though the Police are not concerned with that,” Sohan told this newspaper.
It was not until Tuesday morning after much persistence that Harry was released on her own recognisance.
According to Harry, she was helpless as several male officers came and looked at her without any clothing while she was in the cell.
“I had to lie down on that cold concrete without any clothes and they did not give me anything to eat. They didn’t even give me some water to drink,” she told this publication.
Efforts by this publication to get a comment on the matter from Police in Berbice proved futile.
