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Freddie kissoon column…Two White men and the police on Camp Road

Jan 30, 2018 Freddie Kissoon

If my dog wasn’t behaving with typical Pavlovian reflex, I would not have seen what I witnessed Saturday midday. Accustomed to being on the beach every day where she does “number two,” last Saturday, I had pressing things to do, so she couldn’t be on the Eve Leary beach. But she was misbehaving on Saturday morning. It was her way of telling me that she wanted to go on the beach. But surely, not in the midday sun!

I took her there for a few minutes then hurried home.  I take the seawall road to go home, coming out at Clive Lloyd Drive. But I got a call from my wife asking me to stop at Thomas and Camp Roads to buy two barbecue chicken lunches at “The Grill.”  As I turned south from the seawall road into Camp Road, there clearly could be seen, a traffic operation with four ranks presiding.

The operation did not interest me. I wrote in these columns that I am finished with any mention of random traffic stops. I did several pieces on the anomaly, submitted three statements over a two-year period at the request of the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), and there has been no change.

I see random halts almost every week since I submitted my testimony. Last month I went to OPR for an update on my statements. Superintendent Lawrence Kissoon (no relation) told me I will be contacted. Three years have gone since those papers were received by the OPR. So I am through with writing about routine halts by traffic ranks on the road.

There was this feeling in me that I should stop and look at what was taking place even though my wife was waiting for the barbecue and I had my dog in the car. I pulled over at the new police training school on Camp Road, directly opposite the YMCA. I saw several motorists stopped at random. I just felt the urge to intervene. I went up to this car that was stopped, had papers examined then was about to drive off.

It was a European model car that reminds me of the Austin Cooper model that was popular when I was growing up. It had two small UK national flags flying out the windows. There were two White men in the front seat. The driver, with a British accent said, “Aren’t you Freddie” to which I replied, “Yes, did that officer just stop you at random.”  The gentleman in the front passenger seat then spoke using a foreign accent, and clearly was not fluent in English.  He said to me, “they do this all the time’ and shook his head from side to side as he repeated that statement.

I told both men that the traffic head office is a few seconds drive away, so let’s go and make a complaint.  I drove into the traffic head office compound, and I as was about to come out of the car, this gentleman in civilian clothes came to greet me with the words, “Ah, Freddie, it is nice to have you visit us,” to which I replied, “you are not going to like the reason I am here.” He introduced himself as Sergeant Park and indicated he was in charge at the time.  The two White men drove up immediately, came out of the car and told Park what happened. Park said the ranks were from Brickdam, but nevertheless he summoned them. Then the unbelievable occurred.

Park asked Sergeant Mohamed what happened. Mohamed said that he stopped the car because there was something on the licence plate. The gentleman with the foreign accent then became angry. He said Mohamed did not mention that to him when he allowed him to leave and the driver only stopped to speak to me when I approached the car. The driver kept telling Park that Mohamed was only saying that because he had been called in, and did not make any remark about anything on the licence plate.

Park informed the two gentlemen that the random stop is not standard operating procedure and offered an apology. He also said there will be an investigation. On hearing those words, I didn’t say goodbye to Sergeant Park and the two drivers. I got into my car and drove away.

The word “investigation” drove me to leave immediately. What investigation? I have submitted three statements to OPR. On two occasions OPR sent policemen to interview me at Kaieteur News and contacted Mr. Glenn Lall about the non-appearance of my statement. Mr. Lall asked me to submit the document.  This was about one year ago.

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