Latest update November 21st, 2024 1:00 AM
Top Cop feels short-changed by some court decisions on gun crimes
– Force to continue night club raids
Acting Commissioner of Police David Ramnarine strongly believes that the amount of bail granted in the court makes a mockery of how responsible people in authority should behave within the criminal justice system.
Ramnarine believes that the police force should not be made to shoulder the responsibility entirely for the crime situation in Guyana. He made these comments during a media briefing Saturday at the Force’s Public Relations Office.
He reported that four defendants who were recently charged with unlawful possession of arms and ammunition are out on bail.
“In three cases they were granted bail by the High Court and in one case a Magistrate. Now tell me, is this something simple?”
The Commissioner of Police (ag) believes that such cases should be known by the populace so that right thinking people can be concerned and have their say about the conduct of certain people practicing in certain professions.
“Bail ought to be a serious deterrent to crime. You have in some cases the (accused) being granted $200,000 bail, $180,000 bail, $50,000 bail. What are we talking about here?”
Ramnarine reported that in one of the four cases previously mentioned, a man was charged with unlawful possession of arms and ammunition in May of this year and granted bail.
“While on bail, he is arrested and charged with simple larceny of an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) valued at three point something million dollars. He is granted bail again.”
The Rio Night Club, where the most recent gun crime took place
Acting Commissioner of Police, David Ramnarine
He said that the individual was granted bail for the May offence in August; then in September whilst on the simple larceny charge he is granted $50,000 bail. “So he is out on bail for a serious crime, and he is granted $50,000 bail for another serious crime the following month.”
According to Ramnarine, the same individual is a prime suspect in the robbery murder of a Brazilian national in the interior where a firearm was used. He said that the man is now in custody.
The Acting Head of the Force said that these instances are things to be alarmed about. “How can we be so insensitive in the granting of bail?” he said.
Moreover, he stated that it is clear that the criminal elements did not surrender their firearms during the gun amnesty.
“Here are our actions with total disregard to people being found with firearms well after a gun amnesty when they had an opportunity to surrender their firearms and we are very careless in the granting of bail in these cases.”
To solidify his case, Ramnarine said that the police force is but a microcosmic entity in the criminal justice system.
“We are one element of the criminal justice system.”
According to Ramnarine, the force does its best to fight criminal elements. However, he went further, saying that he will not answer nor accept responsibility for the behaviour of other people who constitute and have a role to play in other elements in the criminal justice system.
“I can only defend our actions in the police force and lay our side of the story in the public domain.” He said that in October so far, the police force has been able to seize 10 illegal guns.
Nightclub Raids
On the issue of the night club raids, Ramnarine said that the Force will continue to carry out random searches of patrons at nightclubs in and around Georgetown. He said that recently in ‘A’ Division, there has been success, whereby during three raids, firearms were found.
Earlier this month, ranks raided a nightspot in West Ruimveldt and found two firearms, several rounds of ammunition and a small quantity of cannabis in the possession of four males and a female.
Similarly, on October 8, 2016 around 23:00hrs officers swept down on the popular night spot Palm Court on Main Street and seized an unlicensed .38 Special Revolver with four matching rounds from a male patron.
The decision to conduct these raids came after the recent gunning down of 18 year-old Ryan Sargeant in-front the Rio Night Club at Forshaw and Oronoque Streets which stemmed from a heated argument inside the night club.
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