Commission of Inquiry recommendations to be released this week

Jul 19, 2011 News

…as Home Affairs Ministry lauds capture of ‘Long Hair’

The Ministry of Home Affairs, some time later this week, is expected to disclose some of the recommendations made by the Commission of Inquiry with regards to the New Amsterdam Prison escape.
The Commission, which was headed by Retired Major General Norman McLean, had submitted its report to Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee more than a week ago, but apart from a few brief comments on its content, the Minister did not disclose much.
A week ago the Minister told reporters that the Commission had made some long, medium and short term recommendations that require careful study before implementation.

Kevin ‘Long Hair’ Narine

“There are some that require additional resources, and there are some that could be done administratively. So depending on those that could be done administratively, obviously we will pursue those; those that require budgetary resources we’ll have to determine how we will handle them and if there needs to be any shifting around obviously we have to take those recommendations into consideration,” the Minister said.
Already, the Officer-in-Charge has been sent on leave to facilitate the work of the Commission of Inquiry and security has been beefed up at the New Amsterdam penal facility.
Since the completion of the work of the Commission, Kevin ‘Long Hair’ Narine, one of the New Amsterdam prison escapees has been recaptured by the security forces in neighbouring Suriname.
Another escapee, Vijay Seenarine, was recaptured a month ago in the town of Rose Hall.
The Ministry of Home Affairs had in a press release linked Narine to a spate of pirate attacks in the Corentyne River almost two weeks ago.
Crime Chief Seelall Persaud yesterday confirmed that one of the New Amsterdam prison escapees was positively identified as being among the perpetrators of those acts. He however did not say if it was Rickford La Fleur or Vinood Gopaul.
“The men were masked but one of them took off his mask and was positively identified,” the Crime Chief told this newspaper.
He was asked whether there was any report of other persons, including La Fleur and Gopaul being captured with Narine.
“There is no word on the others,” Persaud said.
He explained that local police are in contact with their Surinamese counterparts with a view to having Narine returned to Guyana to face criminal charges.
“That has worked over the years…but we don’t know when it will happen,” the Crime Chief told Kaieteur News.
Narine’s capture could also shed new light on the circumstances surrounding the June 10 escape.
The Ministry of Home Affairs in a statement issued yesterday afternoon said that the capture of Narine was predicted and fits well with the old adage? “The longest rope has an end”.
The Ministry said that thanks to the active cooperation between the Guyanese and Surinamese Law Enforcement authorities, the notorious pirate’s escape from justice was short-lived.
“This is a good example to show what active cooperation between Law Enforcement agencies operating in two neighbouring jurisdictions can bring about in respect of piracy in particular and other cross-border criminal activities in general that may be affecting both countries,” the Home Affairs Ministry stated.
It added that confidence in and support for our Law Enforcement agencies must be at the optimum notwithstanding disciplinary infractions that occur from time to time within the ranks of the respective Law Enforcement Agency.
The Ministry said that with the recent successes of the law enforcement agencies, they must not rest on their laurels but must step up the fight against criminal activities in our country.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs calls on the fishing community in particular and the communities in East Berbice and the country as a whole, in general to continue supporting the Guyana Police Force to root out the scourge of piracy and other forms of criminal activities from within our midst.”
Meanwhile, the Home Affairs Ministry is still to issue a formal response to the US State Department report on Crime and Safety in Guyana.
Minister Clement Rohee had dismissed as inaccurate certain contents in the recently published State Department report and had given the assurance that the Guyana Government will respond in a timely manner after careful study of the document.
“I think that there are certain things that have been over dramatised, I should say over exaggerated.
I think that the comparative analysis between Guyana and the United States leaves much to be desired.
And those would be my original comments at this time until we formulate a more precise response that would reflect our position,” Rohee stated.
The US State Department had said that the murder rate in Guyana is three-times higher than the murder rate in the United States and that criminal activity in the capital city of Georgetown continues to increase, particularly violent crimes against people and property.
The report noted that foreigners, in general, are viewed as targets of opportunity. Serious crime, including murder and armed robbery, continues to be a major problem.
According to 2010 crime statistics the report noted that there were approximately 710 incidents reported to the Regional Security Office (RSO), of which there were 140 murders, 108 shooting incidents, and 143 armed robberies.
The report recommended that U.S. citizens maintain a high level of vigilance, consider security issues when planning activities throughout Guyana, and avoid traveling at night, when possible.
“Local police in Guyana have resource and manpower limitations that inhibit their ability to deter or respond to criminal activity.
Police patrols are rare or nonexistent.
“There is an emergency telephone number “911” for police, fire, or rescue.
The fire department generally provides a timely response, while a police response, especially during the night is less dependable. The police response to emergency calls is often too slow (15 minutes or longer).
“When the police do respond, they have a limited amount of authority to act on their part, and at times attempt to solicit bribes, as officers are not compensated well,” the report stated.
According to the US State Department, corruption is widely perceived to be commonplace within the Guyana Police Force and overall government in Georgetown.
“Many police are reportedly paid off by criminal elements and are alleged to work with the criminals by either assisting or protecting them.”