Special squad being considered to hunt down pirates

Fisheries stakeholders have recommended a menu of measures to combat piracy, and one of them is setting up a special squad to hunt down and prosecute the sea bandits, who have stepped up their attacks in recent times.

Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, who has oversight of the fisheries sector, summoned a special meeting of the Fisheries Advisory Committee on June 15 to discuss issues regarding the safety of fisher folk at sea. Among other things, the meeting noted the recent escape of convicted pirate Kevin “Long Hair” Narine. Fishermen in the Berbice area have already expressed their unease about Narine’s escape. Some of them are fearful that he might attack them in reprisal for having testified against him during his trial.

During the meeting, the committee emphasised that piracy is a major scourge plaguing the fisheries sector; but while efforts are being made in regard to addressing it, the scourge cannot be completely eradicated because of several obstacles.

The committee consists of stakeholders from the various fisheries cooperatives, the coast guard, police, maritime administration, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Attorney General’s Chambers, University of Guyana, Private Trawlers Association and the Ministry of Agriculture. Members met and sought to identify possible ways to combat the scourge of piracy.

It was noted that, while it would be difficult to totally eliminate piracy attacks, certain recommendations can be sought for possible implementation so as to lessen the frequency of these attacks, thus reducing the risk of losses of equipment, catch and, in some cases, the loss of lives.

During the discussions, stakeholders said it was agreed that certain aspects of piracy lead to the difficulty in curbing this offence. Among those are the fact that most of the attacks are done by persons suspected to be somewhat involved in fishing in the community. The decision to release these perpetrators after they had been caught is usually due to prosecutors and law enforcement agents’ unfamiliarity with the provisions of the Hijacking and Piracy Act 2008.

Additionally, it was noted that items frequently stolen during these attacks are not those that one would place in the home and keep. “It has to be sold for it to have value, therefore someone has to buy them, and those persons are in the fishing industry; so it can be said that they are facilitating the crime by knowingly buying stolen items,” a statement from the meeting said.

Recommendations

There were certain recommendations made, among them the need for a special squad that would include all the necessary stakeholders such as coast guard, police and prosecutors, who would dedicate their time to investigative work which would lead to the capture and successful conviction of all persons involved in piracy. It was observed that too many persons caught in piracy are allowed bail or have their cases dismissed, facilitating their return to intimidate the fishers or the persons thought to be involved in their capture, or even their return to piracy.The need for closer collaboration with neighbouring countries so as to have an effective communication network was also one recommendation put forward. This would create a communication network in the event of a piracy attack, and that network would lead to more patrols being activated in the event cross border issues are involved.

Another recommendation is to trace the fish products and equipment, such as engines. It was suggested that engines should be colour coded, as was done in the past, to reflect which co- op they belong to in the case of theft. At registration, the boats should have their engine number stamped on the engine, as it can now be removed. It was also suggested that the coast guard should intensify their patrols, and it was observed that piracy tended to increase during certain periods of the year. Other recommendations include identification cards for fishermen, the use of radios, and enforcement so as to ensure fishermen are licensed.

It was noted that once persons see that pirates are caught and sent to prison, they would feel comfortable to assist the law in helping to recapturing them, as things now stand, the pirates released on bail or freed most times threaten the fisher folk and return to their unlawful activities. On June 13, the owner of a fishing boat and trawler reported that his vessel, its captain and five crewmen were attacked, beaten and robbed by pirates on the Oronoque River. The pirates, suspected to be Venezuelans, took away the men’s catch, their radio set and GPS, and left them drifting on the river for approximately two weeks without food or water. They were rescued by fishermen from Charity, who towed their boat to the Essequibo Coast.