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UPDATE: Capture bandit is undercover policeman

4 January 2020

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Police Bandit: Jonathan Harry who was captured on Friday night

Multiple sources have confirmed that one of the five bandits inclusive of a woman who invaded a business place at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo on Friday night is a serving member of the Guyana Police Force.

Big Smith News Watch was informed that the bandit, Jonathan Harry is attached to the Special Branch of the Guyana Police Force and was not performing police duties at the time of the robbery.

Police sources have also confirmed that a gun was found in the car on Friday evening after the police searched it but at this point, it remains unclear if the weapon is from the arsenal of the Guyana Police Force.

The Guyana Police Force today issued a statement identifying the bandit as “a serving member of the joint service” without clearly stating the rank is one of theirs, a move which effectively paints with broad brush and brings into disrepute, the other agencies which make up the Joint Services.

This form of protectionist attitude when police ranks are involved in criminal activities is not something that is seen with the other services when their ranks are caught on the other side of the law. They usually claim ownership of their ranks and detail the sanctions, lawful or departmental which will follow.

In December, BIG Smith News Watch asked the police administration about the process of audits of their armoury to ascertain if all weapons are properly accounted for and if any of the weapons found in the possession on criminals are either force issued ones, or ones which was used in the commissioning of previous crime.

We were told that the information was not immediately available and that the force would get back to this publication but that was never done.

The issue of policemen using themselves as shield for questionable characters to make their way through police roadblocks and gain access to other facilities is something the police force cannot seem to get the handle on.

Members of the joint services however, being caught up in criminal activities are also not things which are new to the Guyanese Society and these developments does tremendous damage to the moral of the respective organisation and public trust in those agencies to take significant dips.

On Friday evening, a businessman shot two bandits who were in the process of ribbing tenants of his. One of the band was killed while another was hospitalised after being shot also. Two other men were arrested and a woman who was said to be among the robbers managed to make good her escape.