Lax security may have facilitated prisoner’s escape from Rose Hall Town Police Outpost

May 25, 2010 News

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ROSE HALL TOWN, CORENTYNE – Was it a case of lax security at the Rose Hall Town Police Outpost that allowed prisoner David Andrews to escape from the facility in the wee hours of Sunday morning?
A police source close to the investigation said that this is definitely the case coupled with abuse of the neighbourhood police initiative.
“When the prisoner escaped there was only a neighbourhood police (rural constable) rank on duty. Imagine the neighbourhood police rank was in charge of the shift.
When the then Minister of Home Affairs, Gail Teixeira launched the Neighbourhood Police initiative in 2006, she said they would serve as the eyes and ears of the community and this in turn could enhance the intelligence gathering capability of the Police Force. They are to work in their communities not at police stations.”
The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that on the night in question this neighbourhood police rank had worked a 12-hour shift and was then forced to work another 12 hours.
“His shift ended and he got no relief so he had to work 24 hours in all. He called the corporal and the corporal told him to hold on. Twelve hours is more than enough for a man or any rank to work or be in charge of a station.
“And like I said before, a neighbourhood police rank should not be working at a station. The same thing happened recently at Reliance Police Station when Vanderburgh was left with a neighbourhood police rank and the prisoner escaped. She was charged for that the other day.”
The rank on duty at the Rose Hall Town Police Outpost was reportedly immediately placed under close arrest and the hunt is on for the escaped prisoner.
However, another source from the Guyana Police Force denied that the rank in question was a neighbourhood police rank, “No, he is a full police. He got regulation number and all that. But it was a case of negligence.”
According to the latter source, during the course of their internal investigation, several versions were given of what took place. “One time we hear the main door had a padlock.
Another time it was the cell door that had a padlock and it wasn’t squeezed in. The next time was that the padlock sprawled out. Different versions we getting. But I think they tek pay and the prisoner get away.
“The corporal was supposed to be there. The rank worked a 24-hour shift, he worked through the night and nobody relieved him.”
The file is to be sent to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution for advice on how to proceed with the matter but the main focus now is on finding the escaped prisoner. In Monday’s edition of the Kaieteur News, it was reported that 36-year old David Andrews, of Lot 155 Williamsburg Squatting Area, Corentyne, was discovered missing about 04:30 hours on Sunday while the said constable was making his rounds.
It is suspected that the prisoner made his bid for freedom some time between 01:00 hour and 04:30 hours. When the lone rank on the shift made his last round about 01:00 hour, the cell appeared to be intact. At the time there were four prisoners at the Rose Hall Town Police Outpost, among them two juveniles.
David Andrews was one the five men detained on Thursday when a mobile patrol, operating in the Rose Hall Town area, intercepted a car, HB 7759, in the vicinity of Cemetery Road, Rose Hall about 06:15 hours.
A random search of the vehicle unearthed an unlicensed .38 revolver, two toque masks with eye-holes and six live nine mm rounds of ammunition. Two of the men in the car are from Williamsburg, two from Fyrish and the other is from Auchlyne Village on the Corentyne.
According to the source, after being interrogated, one of the suspects who hails from Williamsburg allegedly claimed ownership of the items. He reportedly confessed to police that they were heading to an Alness Village destination to commit a robbery.
Two of the five men are known to police. One of them is wanted for questioning in connection with an armed robbery committed on the Sattaur Supermarket in East Canje earlier this year.
Of the five arrested, two were placed at the Rose Hall Town Police Outpost while their accomplices are being kept at other locations. At the time he was in a cell with the driver of the car, HB 7759.
When the discovery was made, the other prisoner (driver) appeared to be asleep. According to the source, the said constable was asleep in the barrack room of the approximately 24 by 18 foot flat building.
“The cell, kitchen, enquires department and the barrack room are all within close proximity. He left and went to bed. He left the two juvenile prisoners unsupervised. He left the two adult prisoners unsupervised and went to sleep. The door for the lock-ups was not properly locked. One of the juveniles opened the tower bolt and let the prisoner out. There was no padlock on. The man got away.”
Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee was in Division ‘B’ on Saturday to commission the Rose Hall Town Fire Station. “Because he was coming, they placed enough ranks at Rose Hall Outpost but he left the afternoon and the slackness continued.”
(Melissa Johnson)

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