Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, has cautioned against the outsourcing of the core responsibilities of local law enforcement to external entities.
Speaking within the context of the Adriana Younge death probe, the AG said that bypassing the Guyana Police Force, the sole lawful authority for conducting investigations in the country, affects the “moral” of that law enforcement agency.
“If it is that every time persons are affected by a death or a death assumes the type of attention that this one has assumed, [and] the government has to import law enforcement agencies, what will that do to the morale of the Guyana Police Force?” he questioned.
He added that “Every family would then think that they are entitled to their particular case being investigated by a law enforcement agency other than the Guyana Police Force”.
Nandlall reminded that Police Act (16:01) empowers the Guyana Police Force to be the primary agency responsible for the, “apprehension of offenders and the due enforcement of all laws and regulations.”
Minister Nandlall also dismissed criticisms of the government’s handling of the matter, defending the actions taken by the administration to date.
“There are a set of people in this country…Who will never be satisfied with anything this government does. They will always use any opportunity they get, as they are doing now with this unfortunate tragedy, to score as much political mileage as possible,” he said.
Since Younge’s death, the government has met several of the family’s demands, including the securing of three independent pathologists to conduct a forensic post-mortem examination. The family is now pushing for a second examination.
President Dr. Irfaan Ali recently told reporters that he has fulfilled his commitments.
More recently, the government secured the services of a retired member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Leonard McCoshen to assist the GPF in its probe.
Guyana Standard understands that the expert has already begun his work.
The eleven-year-old was found dead last month in the Double Day Hotel pool in Region 3. The discovery subsequently led to a fiery protest and unrest. Calls continue to mount for justice to be served.
