Police deny abusing, robbing Venezuelan women

Feb 04, 2022 News

...CCTV footage surfaces of female rank attacking complainants with a baton

Kaieteur News- The Guyana Police Force (GPF), has moved to deny allegations that its ranks on Saturday last assaulted and robbed 20 Venezuelan women of thousands of US and Guyana Dollars during a raid at the Diamond Hotel and Bar located on George Street Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown.
However, footage from a surveillance camera which surfaced yesterday showed a female officer involved in a scuffle with one of the women. It appeared as though there was an exchange of words between them which might have led to the female officer attacking the woman with a baton. The Venezuelan woman apparently retaliated and a brief scuffle ensued during which the officer used the baton to further threaten and assault her.

Screen grab from CCTV footage that captured a Venezuelan woman being assaulted with a baton.

GPF in a statement in response to an article published by this newspaper on Wednesday related that a team of ranks led by a Gazetted Officer had visited the bar based on information they received about trafficking in persons taking place there. According to police, it was the owner of the business establishment, Freeman Fordyce, 45, who tried to obstruct them from performing their duties by restraining ranks from entering the yard. As a result they were forced to cut through the metal gate with the help of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS).
The force admitted that upon entering the building they conducted a raid and had taken 20 Venezuelan to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters located at Eve Leary, but denied physically assaulting them. Instead, the force stated, some of the women resisted. GPF also denied that the ranks involved in the raid stole any of the women’s belongings. “While in custody none of the Venezuelan Nationals made any report, either of loss of cash or property nor of being physically assaulted by the police”. The force continued that after finding no evidence of trafficking they released them.
Kaieteur News reported however, that the women claimed the officers abused them. They had also alleged that they could not verify what was stolen until they returned to the hotel rooms. According to the women all of their savings were gone, electrical hair pressing irons and clothes that they had purchased for their children.
The women also alleged that ranks had forced them to sign documents stating that they were given food, water, and treated well while in custody. They claimed that they were detained for four hours and only given water. The ranks, they said, returned their cellphones and threw them out into the dark streets without any money or transportation to take them back to the hotel. In order to make it back to the hotel, they had to call friends.
Speaking with Kaieteur News yesterday, they related that note was taken of the Crime Chief’s advice for them to lodge a report at force’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) and they will do so soon. However, they said, “we are not keen on pushing the matter further but we are grateful that we were able to let everyone know how they were treated and robbed by lawmen”.
Meanwhile as it relates to the allegations leveled by the force against the proprietor of the hotel, Freeman Fordyce, GPF stated that he has been placed before the courts and charged for the unlawful restraint of three of its officers. He is currently out on $50,000 bail.