Regional authorities in Berbice who are in receipt of information that the Police had colluded with the three bandits who were killed in Black Bush Polder are being asked to come forward with the evidence.
This challenge was put forward by Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, who told Guyana Times International on Monday that, as is customary whenever a member of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is implicated in wrongdoing, an investigation has to be conducted. He explained that upon receipt of reports that Police ranks have been feeding information to the now dead bandits, a probe was immediately launched.
“However, the investigation is still ongoing, but I want the Regional Chairman, the Head of the Chamber of Commerce in Berbice, and all those other important persons responsible for running that region to contact me directly with the information they have, so that this matter can be dealt with accordingly. We want to ensure that the investigation is accurately conducted, and (we want) to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible,” Minister Ramjattan said.
“Once I get the preliminary report, then I shall be in a better position to pronounce on this matter. Of course, when I am briefed about the investigation, I will be able to provide more information about this. It is a very serious matter,” he declared.
Ranks in Berbice have quite recently made some damning allegations against their colleagues, one of whom is that of a detective rank had been closely connected with the criminal network that had terrorised and traumatised residents in East Berbice between April and May of this year.
According to a Police source, the detective rank in question is a lance corporal who had been stationed at the Rose Hall Town Police Outpost but was transferred to the New Amsterdam Police Station when the damning allegations surfaced. He allegedly is still on active duty even as investigations continue.
This particular rank had allegedly been associated with the lately deceased criminal Kelvin ‘Kelly’ Shivgobin, who was recently shot and killed in the backlands of Black Bush Polder during a shootout with the Police.
It is further alleged that the relationship between this Policeman and the now dead bandit dates back to when Shivgobin had been arrested and charged for the murder of a businessman. Sources allege that this detective had been one of the ranks investigating that murder case, but the matter was dismissed in April 2018 and Shivgobin was set free after the magistrate had declared that there was not enough evidence to keep him in custody.
Some months after Shivgobin had been released, new evidence had surfaced to have him rearrested, but this had never happened.
This publication was also told by senior regional authorities that the alleged corrupt rank is “being shielded” by a high-ranking officer who is presently stationed outside of ‘B’ Division.
Additionally, there are reports that when the three bandits were shot and killed in Black Bush Polder recently, the cellphones that were found in their possession contained numbers of Police ranks in the call logs and the contact lists of the phones.
