Junior cops accuse police force of Human Rights violations at ‘Endurance Camp’; wants president and security minister to intervene
By Leroy Smith
A number of junior police ranks have come forward with harrowing tales surrounding an ongoing Guyana Police Force Training titled ‘Endurance Camp’ which is held at Dora on the Soesdyke Linden Highway and which they said has all the hallmarks of Human Rights Violations. The police ranks who spoke with BIG Smith Crime Watch are calling on Commander in Chief of the armed forces, President David Granger and Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan to immediately look into what goes on at the camp.
BIG Smith Crime Watch has been informed that there are several police ranks who have since been issued with sick leave as a result of injuries they sustained while at the facility. We were told that the camp is continuous and it is mostly junior police ranks who are selected to participate in the training that goes on there.
“Them trainers cruelling us up there and telling us that we don’t have any human rights here and the only way we leaving here is with nuff injuries or dead” one police rank told BIG Smith Crime Watch during an interview.
The most recent camp was concluded last week with close to two dozen ranks, males only, while another batch was sent into the facility to conduct training. The training is said to be for a one week period and is supervised by Lance Corporal Caruthers, Sergeant McPherson and they are sad to be reporting directly to Deputy Superintendent and O/C Tactical Services Unit, Clifton Davis.
“They does tie we up to the trees and tie up we foot and shoot teargas at we without any protective masks on. They only allow we to eat a proper meal two times alone during the one week training and the rest of time they give us a meal pack with coconut biscuits and buns and spoiled beer curry. They have us walking three miles from the camp to Umbrella Resort and when we reach there they send us straight into the creek at 11:PM and we have to stay in that water for three hours and then get out and walk back to the camp where they put us to sleep in the wet cloth on the sand before we start back training at 6 am. They don’t let us use the sleeping material which were provided for the training” Big Smith Crime Watch was told.
Those on the raining said that they are not allowed to take photos of the training facility or any aspect of the training while at the location. In fact, they have no access to their bags once they enter the camp site.
BIG Smith Crime Watch has been provided with photographs of injuries that some of the ranks sustained during the training and based on information they provided, senior operatives within the Guyana Police Force are aware of what has been taking place.
According to what we were told, when the ranks are being made to walk for hours in the night from the training camp to the creek where they are made to remain in the cold water for three hours, they are instructed to duck and hide whenever they see a vehicle light approaching as they walk along the Soesdyke Linden Highway.
Those who are unable to withstand the rigorous training are also ordered arrested and beaten by commanding officers who supervise the training at the location, based on what we were told.
We were told that once the training at the camp is finish at nights the team is made to walk to the umbrella Umbrella Creek for their three hours stay in the water but while heading there, they are ordered to duck and hide whenever they see any approaching light along the dark Soesdyke Linden Highway.
This morning BIG Smith Crime Watch attempted to reach out to the Commissioner of Police and the Public Relations Officers of the force to solicit a comment in relation to the revelations but our efforts were futile.The junior ranks who have come forward with the information have refused to have their names published out of fear of being victimized by the police force. They have also made no formal complaints to any arm of the police force about the treatment at the camp.
