Unauthorised driver crashes CANU vehicle

Feb 08, 2010 News

An early morning accident has left one Customs Anti Narcotics Unit Rank and another man with minor injuries after the vehicle they were in turned turtle on the Soesdyke Public Road.
This newspaper was told that the incident occurred sometime around 05:00 hours yesterday. Reports are that the vehicle had earlier in the morning transported Head of CANU, James Singh, to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. This newspaper was told that Singh left yesterday morning for Jamaica for a training course. The vehicle, PHH 5757, was returning to the city and was driven by a mechanic who is neither employed by CANU nor authorised to drive it. This newspaper was also informed that a CANU rank was onboard the Toyota Land Cruiser. It is not clear what transpired, but eyewitnesses said they saw the vehicle flip over twice before coming to a screeching halt. A bit later, a tow truck was seen pulling the vehicle away from the scene.

Repairs to this crashed CANU vehicle could run into millions of dollars.

From all indications, the incident was not reported to any police station which is responsible for the jurisdiction where the accident occurred.
This newspaper checked with the Madewini Police Outpost to verify if any report of the incident was made. The rank on duty at the time said there was no report. In addition, the rank (name provided) said several persons called the station inquiring about the incident but they never received any report.
Timehri Police Station also claimed that no report was made at that station.
Meanwhile, when contacted, a CANU operative said he is not aware that the vehicle had crashed, but admitted that if that was the case it would have been reported. The rank however did also admit that the same vehicle, PHH 5757, was not parked in the CANU’s compound up to press time yesterday as per normal.
“If it did crash it would have been at the Police Station or at our mechanic” the rank explained.
However, yesterday, this newspaper found the vehicle with its number plates removed at a mechanic shop in Agriculture Road, Mon Repos East Coast Demerara.
Only recently a CANU rank was dismissed for a similar incident which occurred in Lethem. The rank reportedly lent a friend the company’s vehicle and it was involved in an accident. Following investigation that rank was dismissed.
The vehicle which crashed yesterday is said to cost some $16M and repairs could also run into the millions of dollars.