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Giftland’s Boss claims harassment over COVID-19 curfew -police say not so
By Shervin Belgrave
Giftland’s boss, Mr. Roy Beepat.
Kaieteur News – Giftland’s boss, Roy Beepat, is of the opinion that the Georgetown police are singling out and harassing his business establishment over the COVID-19 curfew.
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) in response, however, stated that this is not the case and that its ranks are doing their job in enforcing the COVID-19 regulations.
According to the GPF, it was made aware that Beepat, the Chairman of the “Giftland Group,” had stated that the Giftland Mall and its concessions are continuously singled out for selective enforcement and police harassment.
Beepat’s statement was reportedly made after ranks arrested three bar owners of the Giftland Strip on Saturday last, for breaching the COVID-19 curfew.
GPF detailed that its ranks had turned up at the Giftland Mall around 22:10 hrs. that evening and observed that three bars were still opened for business. The time for bars to be closed, GPF noted is 21:30 hrs.
As a result, the GPF stated, the owners were arrested and later released on bail. Those individuals are expected to appear in court on Tuesday March 16, 2021.
The Police Force also added that prior to their arrests, the bar owners of the “Giftland Strip” were given a warning by its ranks on Friday March 5, after they were observed to be breaching the curfew that evening too.
Beepat, on the on the other hand, is claiming that the police’s version of the events is not true.
In statement issued yesterday by the Giftland Mall, claims were made that one of the bar owners was man handled by a rank and taken to the police station at 21:00 hrs. Giftland Mall further alleged that the bars were closed at exactly 21:30 hrs., but police ranks turned up at 22:00 hrs. and arrested the other two bar owners for no reason at all.
It was alleged in the Giftland statement that the night after the arrests of the bar owners, police returned to ensure that the bars were closed at 21:30 hrs. while another city nightspot remained opened.
Giftland has since posted a video, along with its statement, on its Facebook page to support its allegations against the police force. The video showed cars parked in front of multiple city nightspots. A number of patrons were also seen entering and exiting the respective buildings.
Nevertheless, the GPF insisted in its statement that it has not been selectively targeting Giftland Mall or any other business entity when enforcing the COVID-19 regulations.
In fact, the GPF said that it should be noted that it has enforced these regulations on several other establishments across the capital city and the country. The police force added too that it remains committed in the execution of its mandate of ensuring safety and security in the country in a professional, ethical and impartial manner.
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