Bandits in police uniforms at roadblocks…Bogus cops would confuse even real police – official

Police appear to have no plan in place to catch bandits who dress as cops to rob travelers at bogus roadblocks, and one official acknowledged that even real policemen would be unable to tell the real from the fake at night. The official gave this response after bandits dressed as policemen made off with $900,000 last Wednesday after holding three poultry business employees at gunpoint at Grove, Mahaicony. The victims, who were left tied up in their truck, said that two of the bandits were clad in the black police anti-crime uniforms, while the other was wearing the normal blue shirt and black trousers. Commenting on the robbery and what could be done to prevent other similar attacks, an official said that most routine roadblocks near stations are set up by senior ranks.  There are others that are set up away from police stations if a robbery or other felony is committed. The source said that if the roadblock is in a dark area, it would be difficult, even for police ranks, to know if those manning the ‘roadblock’ are indeed policemen. “As a policeman you may slow down and you will see how they operate and say, ‘no, it’s not police, but by then it’s too late,” the source said. “I may see men with a flashlight, and I would have no way of knowing. At a dark turn away from a station, what evidence do I have that they are not police if they have uniforms?” Last Wednesday’s robbery which was committed on three employees of Mohamed Farm of Garden of Eden, East Bank Demerara, producers of Royal Chicken, occurred around 21:00 hours. According to reports, the victims were heading back to their place of origin after conducting business in Berbice when they were stopped at a “roadblock” by men dressed in police uniforms. The victims apparently thought that the police were conducting a campaign and it was “just another roadblock”, since they were stopped about 30 minutes earlier at another roadblock outside the Fort Wellington Police Station. But they were wrong on the latter occasion, as the “cops” turned out to be bandits, who held them at gunpoint. “Two of the bandits were clad in the black police anti-crime uniforms, while the other was wearing the normal blue shirt and black trousers. The men said that they certainly looked like policemen,” a source who is associated with the victims told Kaieteur News. The bandits locked their victims in the tray of the truck and drove it down a lonely dam. There they broke open a canister which contained the day’s sales and escaped. The three workers – the driver and two porters – were left tied up in the locked tray of the truck. About 30 minutes after the bandits left, the workers managed to free themselves and sought assistance from nearby residents, who subsequently contacted the police. By the time they arrived though, the bandits had vanished. Bandits have been using this modus operandi to carry out their activities, capitalizing on the absence of a clear policy on police roadblocks. After such robberies, some victims have said that they would not stop again at any roadblock that is set up in a desolate area. “What do we do when we come upon a “police” roadblock in an isolated area in the middle of the night? Should we stop and risk getting robbed or do we drive through and risked being riddled with bullets?” the victims of Wednesday’s robbery had asked. Last August, Latchmin Gopaul, a teacher, her husband, Lekraj Gopaul, and a taxi driver were abducted at gunpoint in broad daylight by two men in police uniforms while heading to the airport for a planned vacation. The victims were then driven to a desolate spot at Yarrowkabra, off the Soesdyke/Linden Highway, where they were bound and relieved of millions of dollars in local and foreign currency, jewellery and other valuables. The police had assured that nightly roadblocks will be conducted in well illuminated areas and there will be clearly marked police vehicles. This was after a spate of robberies by persons dressed in police uniforms on the East Bank of Demerara. Divisional Commander of the police East Coast Demerara Division, Assistant Commissioner Christopher Griffith told this newspaper that in the interest of trust, he had advised his ranks to conduct their roadblocks in proximity to police stations, a method that has been working well. Another bone of contention is the number of unreturned police kits that have found their way into the hands of the criminally minded. These kits consist of complete uniforms and police identification cards. Within recent times, there have been reports of ex-cops and even serving policemen committing armed robberies, using the very police kits. “Once a person leaves the force, they are supposed to turn in their kits but there seems to be a lack of accountability when it comes to this area, we need to tighten up in that area,” a police source acknowledged.