People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Chairman, Shurwayne Holder says he is in receipt of over a dozen reports of police ‘abusing’ their authority in the party’s strongholds, particularly Bartica and Linden.
He said that his party is lending legal advice to ‘victims’, while it anticipates a meeting with the Police Commissioner (acting), Nigel Hoppie. A letter requesting the engagement with the ‘Top Cop’ has already been dispatched.
Holder, a Member of Parliament, told reporters that it is the “general expectation” that the Commissioner facilitates a meeting within the shortest possible time.
He said while the party had preferred that these matters already be before the courts, there are challenges. Holder reminded that the PNCR’s Leadership is “relatively” new, and the legal committee is still being formulated. Nevertheless, he said that the party is still working to address these reports that have ‘intensified’ during the last couple of months.
He added that another challenge is that ‘victims’ would initiate plans to take actions against cops, but later discontinue “out of fear or other reasons”.
Holder is encouraging persons who have similar issues to raise same with the party.
“The PNCR wishes to advise Guyanese to bring to our attention cases where elements in the Guyana Police Force are abusing their power and incarcerating them illegally. The PNCR will be helping citizens to take legal actions against the GPF and those of its elements who abuse their rights in a manner that victimizes the poor and the powerless. We intend to relentlessly pursue it until the Commissioner engages in serious and genuine efforts to fix this problem.”
Under the PNC, non-blacks were routinely harassed and jailed by the police and had no recourse because this was an adopted and preferred policy of the then government.
Now, the police are more fair minded and the PNC sees harassment when the police carry out their duties.