Police Behaviour Uncalled For

Apr 16, 2018 Letters

Dear Editor,
The local media reported that, “A 58-year-old woman is accusing Police in New Amsterdam of causing her great shame after she was allegedly raped by a home intruder.”
According to the woman, “the man broke into her home and raped her but when she reported the matter, the Police Officers referred to her as a “junkie” and a beggar, saying that no one would want to rape her.
She said that as a result, the Police at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Central Police Station refused to carry out an investigation. In tears, the woman said she was not taken to the hospital but made to sit at the Police station. When she inquired why she was not being taken to be medically examined, she was told that there was no vehicle available. The woman said she remained at the CID department until midday but left after no one was forthcoming.”
Over the years The Caribbean Voice and other stakeholders and activists have been calling for police training and sensitization to ensure that all police officers know exactly how to handle cases of suicide and all forms of abuse.
In fact, this issue was recently raised by TCV in a meeting with the Personal Assistant to Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan. This particular example reinforces the urgent need for such training.
The bottom line is that who or what the woman may or may not be has nothing to do with her being raped and the job of the police is to display empathy while handling the complaint and to ensure that medical help is urgently provided as it is also a measure necessary to corroborate the complaint. We strongly urge that an investigation be carried out into the uncalled for behaviour of the police at that particular station and that strong action be taken to ensure there is no repeat.
Meanwhile The Caribbean Voice is quite willing to work with Police to ensure that appropriate training is carried ASAP, across Guyana so that incidents like this one would not happen again.
Caribbean Voice

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