Two Guyanese have been arrested by the Surinamese Police Force so far this year for piracy, while three cases are being investigated. This is according to Suriname Police Force Deputy Public Relations Officer, Inspector Humphrey Naarden.
Humphrey Naarden
In an interview with Guyana Times International on Friday, March 9, in Suriname, Inspector Naarden said the two men who were arrested in January also confessed to the police that “they were members of a group of criminals attacking fisher men at sea.” He said four engines that were stolen from the victims were also confiscated. “We can’t reveal the names of those involved as it would hamper the investigation, because we believe that there are more persons involved and the case is still being investigated.”
Piracy has been plaguing both Guyana and Suriname for many years, and efforts are being made jointly to tackle the problem. It poses a serious threat to both countries’ fishing industries.
Inspector Naarden told this publication that the incidence of piracy is also of concern to the Suriname Police Force. He believes the ongoing collaboration with the Guyana Police Force could reduce the prevalence of piracy.
He said the two countries share information and collaborate with each other to combat the problem, as “it is in our best interest to have a safe border river, in this case, the Corentyne. If we have information from here or from Guyana, then the information is shared.”
The Deputy PRO said it is difficult to track and catch pirates. “It is not so easy to catch the guys because when they rob the fisherman, if they are from Guyana … they go to the Guyana side, because they know that we are Suriname police, we can’t follow them into Guyana’s water. It is a problem for us and advantage for them. But as I said, if we have information on one of those guys, especially if the victims are also Guyanese nationals, then we can share information with the Guyanese police.”
“We have good cooperation at the police level,” he told this publication. When asked about the success rate of capturing pirates, the Deputy PRO said the task is a heavy one, as the victims rarely make contact with the police soon after they were attacked and robbed by pirates. “It is not easy to catch them… this is because they are mobile… some tend to take days [to contact police], when they make contact with us, the pirates are long gone.
When asked what he believes can be done to improve the relations between Guyana and Suriname in a bid to tackle piracy, he said there is a great need for more patrols on both sides of the river. “I think that if on Suriname and Guyanese sides, if you have more patrols on both sides of the river that would help a lot. Sharing information would also be a good thing to do, not that we don’t do that, but it could be frequently,” Inspector Naarden said.
Over the past few months, a spate of pirate attacks has rocked Guyana. President Ramotar has said that the incidence of piracy must be stamped out when he recently met a contingent of fishermen who demanded security and justice. Guyana, over the years, has been struggling to deal with piracy, as the relevant authorities are not equipped with the necessary vessels and machinery to deal with the problem.
Comments are closed.