Although the Guyana Police Force has a number of officers who have been trained as negotiators, the Force has admitted that during the two recent armed confrontations with criminal elements, there was no negotiator at the scene to get the bandits to surrender.
At a press conference on Monday, Police Commissioner Leslie James told reporters that “we do have persons who are trained in negotiations and when you have such operations, that persons goes along with the team, but almost all situations, the negotiation is not necessary for them to engage”.
Deputy Police Commissioner in charge of operations Maxine Graham confirmed that at the two latest police confrontations with armed criminals in Berbice and on Norton Street in Georgetown, no negotiator accompanied the Police teams.
In both of those incidents, three gunmen were shot dead after opening fire on the Police.
The Police Commissioner said the Force also intends to have medical teams close by whenever it engages in such operations in case of injuries.
In most instances, the injured are taken to the hospital in Police vehicles.
Meanwhile, the Police Commissioner said investigations are ongoing into the criminal gangs that might have had the two sets of bandits as members. Ballistics tests are being carried out on the weapons seized and telephone records are also being examined for the phones that were recovered at the scenes.
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