Police ranks allegedly demand $400,000 bribe from suspected car thief

Two police officers attached to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), were yesterday placed on self bail after they pleaded not guilty to allegedly demanding $400,000 from a man arrested in connection with a car theft.
Orwin Dow and Carlton Johnson, both said to be stationed at the East Ruimveldt Police Outpost, appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Beharry who read that the men demanded money from Kester Allicock with the intent to steal the said sum.
The court understood that the cops, on January 12, at the police outpost ordered Allicock to pay them the money so that he could get back a car they claimed was reported stolen.
The police alleged that the complainant, on January 4, went to CID headquarters and made a report. He claimed that he had loaned a man whom he met through an uncle $300,000 and in return, the recipient of the cash gave him his vehicle as collateral.
Allicock said that on January 9 he parked the vehicle in front of his uncle’s house at Vreed-en-Hoop and was later approached by the two accused who claimed that the vehicle was suspected stolen. The allegation, Allicock said, led to his arrest and the police confiscated the said car.
While at the outpost, Allicock said the police demanded the money in return for the car.
He along with the other police ranks then planned a sting operation and the accused were caught on tape in the alleged conversation for the $400,000 sum. It is also alleged that newspaper was wrapped like money and placed in a yellow envelope which Constable Johnson collected.
At the time, the police said they were observing the whole transaction and had witnessed enough to confront the two officers.
Dow and Johnson were later arrested and told of the whole sting operation. The envelope with the fake cash was also recovered. The police said that the matter was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for instructions and it was advised that the officers be charged for the offence.
The matter has been transferred to Magistrate Sueanna Lovell who granted the policemen pre-trial liberty on their own recognizance. The matter will be heard again on February 27.

ATM thief is a cop

-    repays stolen $63,000 to teacher  

With his photograph emblazoned on the front page of Guyana’s most popular daily, a police Constable who illegally emptied a teacher’s bank account has taken the easy way out and turned himself into the Brickdam Station.
The policeman, who is a member of the Tactical Services Unit, surrendered yesterday morning and has repaid the money he withdrew from the Republic Bank account after the teacher, Deandre Anderson, had forgotten his VISA Card in one of the bank’s Automatic Teller Machines.

The policeman at the ATM

However he will have to do more than that, since his actions have not only angered the teacher but also caused great embarrassment to the Guyana Police Force. Had it not been for the bank’s camera footage, the Constable might have gotten off scot free.
“He is not a wise policeman; he ought to know that the bank would have surveillance cameras,” one of his colleagues told Kaieteur News yesterday.
On July 20 last, Anderson, a teacher of St. Ambrose Primary School, went to Republic Bank Limited’s New Market Street Branch to make a withdrawal. He hurriedly transacted his business, leaving behind his VISA Card in the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM).
“I only collected my receipt from the ATM. In my hurriedness, I forgot to respond to the machine’s option of moving ahead with another transaction and the guy after me took the option,” the teacher explained.
The following day when Anderson became aware that his card was missing, he immediately contacted the bank, inquiring from the security personnel whether anyone had found a VISA card. The security answered in the negative and an investigation was immediately launched.
It did not take investigators long to discover that another customer of the bank, the policeman, had withdrawn Anderson’s money. The suspect did not transact any business with his own VISA Card, which made it difficult for the bank to place a name to the suspect.
The bank’s camera footage, however, clearly revealed what took place after Anderson walked away from the machine and exited the bank.
The recording shows the suspect and Anderson crossing paths at the bank’s door.
According to the footage, the suspect approached the ATM that Anderson had used a few seconds earlier and upon seeing the VISA card in the machine, he briefly smiled and began looking nervously over his shoulder at the door. He did this continuously throughout the episode, and after he ascertained that the coast was clear he started operating the machine, withdrawing $63,000 from Anderson’s account.
Yesterday, Anderson confirmed that the policeman had confessed before him and investigators that he did withdraw the money.
“I asked him why and he said that he did not know what got into his head,” Anderson said.
He also confirmed that the policeman offered to return the money.
“He put me in a spot, because I had to go borrowing money from people. He has to compensate me for all the expenses he put me through,” the teacher declared.
The policeman’s colleagues are upset at the embarrassment that he caused.
“As a policeman, before he take action to protect people, he stealing from them. If the camera didn’t capture him, he wouldn’t have come in,” a police rank told this publication.
Kaieteur News was informed that late yesterday afternoon the cop made full restitution to the teacher, including compensating him for all the additional expenses that were incurred.
“He willingly agreed to repay me, but of course the force will have to do what they have to do,” the teacher said.

“As a policeman, before he take action to protect people, he stealing from them. If the camera didn’t capture him, he wouldn’t have come in,” a police rank told this publication."

Glad to know there are real police out there who do believe in their work.