Brickdam Police Station fire: Robbery accused allegedly confesses to starting blaze

A 26-year-old man of Lot 2292 Princes Street, Lodge, Georgetown has allegedly confessed to starting the fire that destroyed the Brickdam Police Station on Saturday.
The man reportedly made the confession on video after he was ratted on by two of his cellmates.
The Guyana Police Force on Sunday said the suspect was arrested on Saturday morning in connection with an alleged robbery-under-arms incident, and was placed in the Brickdam lockups prior to starting the fire.
The man reportedly told the Police that he became frustrated after being detained for a long period of time, and he then decided to start the fire. The alleged confession resulted from the Police questioning all the prisoners at the Brickdam Station at the time of the incident.
Following the fire, the two informants were taken from the Brickdam lockups to the Sparendaam Station on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), where they were placed in a cell with the suspect. During that time in the cell, the suspect allegedly informed the men that it was he who had started the fire which destroyed the Station.
The duo said the man allegedly told them that he took a piece of sponge, wrapped it on a piece of wire, and lit same with a cigarette lighter before pushing it through a ventilation hole in the cell. The cell was connected to another room that had some documents in it, and that was how the fire was started.
After the information was relayed to the Police, the suspect was interviewed on camera, and he allegedly confessed. He related the same series of events that occurred prior to the fire.
In a statement on Sunday, the Home Affairs Ministry said that while investigations are ongoing into the circumstances of the fire, efforts are underway to evaluate the performance of the Guyana Fire Service. The statement added that identification, recording and photographing of the destroyed vehicles in the Station’s compound are ongoing, along with the removal of debris.
“It is anticipated that, fairly shortly, the operational activities related to the Brickdam Police Station would recommence,” the statement read.
The fire started at about 11:00h, and blazed for over three hours, consuming a significant chunk of the three-storey structure.
Three hours later, 80 per cent of the Brickdam Police Station was ravaged, painting a picture of charred vehicles and tonnes of debris within the compound. Fire Chief Kalamadeen Edoo was on site, but did not engage the media at that time. Among the destroyed facilities are the Property Room, Inquires Office, Traffic Department and Officers’ Mess. Just the barracks, located on the western end and lining Manget Place, remained intact, along with the Impact Building and the lockups.
Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn had called a press conference, in which he labelled the situation as a “great loss” for the Joint Services. According to Benn, the Police were able to account for all 16 prisoners within the facility, salvage records, and secure the station’s arsenal of weapons before the situation descended into greater chaos.
This publication understands that 398 officers were working from the compound – which was over 100 years old. The complex also lacked the requisite fire prevention equipment, namely fire buckets, extinguishers, sprinkler system. (G2)