Domestic violence high on Police priorities – Asst. Comm. Brummell

Kaieteur News – April 28, 2008

Commander of the Police East Coast Demerara Division, Assistant Commissioner Leroy Brummell, says that domestic violence is very high on the list of priorities for the Police under his command. The senior Police officer was responding to queries from this newspaper about the failure to apprehend an Enmore man who eventually slit his reputed wife’s throat after years of abusing her.

According to Assistant Commissioner Brummell, a number of ranks underwent training to deal professionally with the subject, and refresher courses are constantly being undertaken.

Since killing Shaneeza Khan, last Sunday at their Grass Field, Enmore home, the suspect remains on the run despite several attempts by the Police to arrest him.

In an invited comment, Brummell told Kaieteur News that the Police did receive several reports of abuse from Khan and her mother, and action was taken on each occasion.  

Sexual offences dominate consultation with religious bodies

Kaieteur News – April 24, 2008

While some police officers do an excellent job at assisting rape victims, there are others that do ‘very crappy’ work, says Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Priya Manickchand.

The Minister was at the time speaking with religious leaders from different organisations, who turned out in their numbers yesterday to be part of the ‘Stamp It Out’ consultation hosted at the Ethnic Relations Commission.

She says that some police officers ask victims all sorts of ‘foolish’ questions, intimidating them even as they are making their report.

The Minister says that there are deficiencies with both the police and judicial systems when it comes to dealing with issues of rape.  

Police Wives’ Association gets new office

Kaieteur News – April 24, 2008

After more than 50 years of existence, the Police Wives’ Association has its own office. The office, which is located in the Police Officers’ Mess compound, was officially declared open by Deputy Commissioner Edward Wills and will serve to improve the work of the organization.

As the name suggests, the Police Wives’ Association is made up of the spouses of police officers and is usually headed by the wife of the serving Commissioner of Police.

It operates the Juliet Griffith Day Care Centre at Eve Leary and conducts many social activities aimed at empowering women both within and outside of the Guyana Police Force.

The Police Wives’ Association was formed in 1953 and was the brainchild of Mrs. Juliet Griffith, the wife of a former Senior Superintendent of Police.  

Domestic violence seems to have reached epidemic proportions

Stabroek News – April 23, 2008

Dear Editor,

It’s quite frightening when one gets the impression that the death of a mother at the hands of her abusive husband is treated as “just another bit of news”.

What was telling about the media reports was that Shaneiza Khan’s eventual demise “came as no surprise”. That response says a whole lot on so many levels, but the most telling of all is the “well, wuh we gon do about that, life don hard already” mentality. Is the sanctity of life no longer precious? My deepest sympathy to the Khan family and the countless others who have suffered at the hands of their abusers.

Reports state that the police were called on several occasions, all to no avail and that seems to be the typical and not an isolated police response.

Everyone has an opinion about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of our law enforcers when it comes to crime prevention or detection, but the fact of the matter is that the police force’s resources are stretched to capacity.  

Enmore murder suspect still at large

Stabroek News – April 22, 2008

Police are still to locate the suspect in the murder of 22-year-old Foulis, East Coast Demerara (ECD) resident, Shaneiza Khan.

Khan was discovered dead on Sunday in the Enmore, ECD home that she once shared with her reputed husband of four years, who has not been seen since.  A post-mortem examination performed on her body yesterday found that she died as a result of her throat being slit. She was also stabbed under the breast.

Police are still hunting for her husband.

Yesterday Khan’s mother, Bibi Nazmoon Hamid told Stabroek News that documents belonging to her daughter, including her passport, were missing.  

Taxi driver remanded over carnal knowledge

Stabroek News – April 21, 2008

A 59-year-old taxi-driver charged with having carnal knowledge of a 13-year-old girl was remanded to prison when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

Maurice Fung of Lot 45 Princes Street, Werk-en-Rust was not required to plead to three charges of carnally knowing a girl under the age of 15 years and was remanded to prison by Principal Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle.

It is alleged that between November 7 and November 30 last year, he had carnal knowledge of the minor. It is also alleged that he committed a similar act on February 13 and then last Tuesday.

Reports are that the police acting on information received went to a hotel and discovered Fung and the girl there. He was arrested and charged.