Deputy Commissioner McBean Stamps his authority on SOCU’s overreach

January 19, 2026

By Leroy Smith

Deputy Commissioner of Police Simon McBean has ordered Police Sergeant Canterbury to report for duty at the Brickdam Police Station Traffic Department, where he is rightfully stationed.

McBean is the Commander of Police Regional Division 4A, Sergeant Canterbury works within that division, and any transfer of any rank out of that division has to be made with the knowledge of the Divisional Commander through the office of the Deputy Commissioner Administration in writing or through the Commissioner of Police, none of which was done.

On Friday, Assistant Superintendent of Police Scott released Sergeant Canterbury from custody and cautioned him, stating that he had been transferred with immediate effect to the Tactical Service Unit and was to report to the Special Organised Crime unit today, Monday, as part of an ongoing investigation.

Many persons within the police force have been speaking about high-handedness with which the Special Organised Crime Unit SOCU carries out its operations without any regard for the rule of law and rank structure within the Guyana Police Force.

“An ASP instructing a rank that he transferred with immediate effect without even the proper paper trail is breach of the SOP and flies in the face of Commander of the Division who in this case is a Deputy Commissioner of Police who had to learn of this through the media, well the commander said the rank is not going anywhere until the proper procedures are followed” one officer within the Police 4A Division told BIG Smith News Watch on Monday morning.

It was just last week, Friday, that the publisher of this news establishment, Leroy Smith, conducted a Facebook live where, among other things, he spoke of the manner in which SOCU operates, breaching procedures, and breaking laws as they seek to execute their mandate, but outside of the parameters of the law and established force guidelines.

Canterbury is the police traffic rank who was lured from his normal duties to go and stake out the worship place, a mosque to be exact,  where a member or members of the Mohamed’s family were inside praying.

While there, the sergeant was given two sets of instructions: remove the vehicle and then another set of instructions from a higher-ranking officer, who told him to leave the people’s vehicle alone.

He was then thrown into the lockups and is expected to be charged with conspiracy to Money Laundering