Why no bodycams at Dartmouth? Why SWAT team?

Sep 19, 2021 Letters

Dear Editor,

What is the point of bodycams for police, when 11 highly trained SWAT team officers, led by a gazetted rank, goes on a potentially deadly assignment to arrest 2 murderers without bodycams?
I think the residents of Dartmouth have every right to feel sorely aggrieved and wracked by anguish following the recent early morning killing in his bedroom of 29-year-old businessman Orin Boston. Why was the SWAT team at the address where Mr Boston lived with his family anyway? The police claim to be searching there rather than at his place of business for “prohibited items” has an air of unreality about it – particularly when not even a broad class of such items, be it contraband, guns or drugs is hinted at. The Crime Chief has acknowledged that Mr. Boston has never been prosecuted by the police before. Nothing of interest to the police was found at the victim’s home.
So why did a SWAT team armed to the teeth attend at Mr. Boston’s home last Wednesday around 04:40hrs. in the first place, when most folks would be fast asleep in their beds? It is reported that the officers had already arrested two murder suspects at separate addresses. Was it the officers’ assignment to first go after two suspected murderers, then go to yet another address in search of “prohibited items”? Did the officers have a warrant to enter Mr. Boston’s home?
The really troubling aspect of this story is about the SWAT team, at a time when the GPF has the equipment, going out with intent to arrest murder suspects, but not wearing bodycams. Isn’t the rationale for sending SWAT officers rather than regular police that of the escalated possibility of a violent confrontation? Isn’t that escalated possibility a primary reason for officers to wear bodycam? In the event, the SWAT team claims that there was a confrontation, not with either of the murder suspects, but with Mr. Boston – and have only the officers’ reports to substantiate their version of events!
There’s a video currently doing the rounds that I saw only today. It features a man cussin’ loudly: “you tek 20 f***kin gram from me bai now you wan come lock me up!” Meanwhile, there is a parked police pickup and police officers in full view – none of the officers doing anything to contain the man as he crosses the road and back again cussin’ loudly throughout. Bystanders also have their own running commentary recorded on the video. It is a well-known fact that our police officers have a tendency to be opportunistic. It is a malady that can well do with a special vaccine.
The Boston family, the people of Dartmouth and indeed all the people of Guyana deserve a thorough and fair investigation of this case followed by justice manifestly seen to be done.

Yours truly,
Ronald Bostwick

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