Corentyne farmer accuses Police of conspiring with stray catchers

A Corentyne, Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) cattle farmer is accusing Police of conspiring with stray catchers in the region. The woman was forced to pay almost $400,000 to have her cattle released from the pound at the Number 51 Police Station. The farmer claimed that her animals were impounded even though she had a document giving her permission to graze the cattle in the rice cultivation area. The farmer claimed that at the end of each rice crop the Water Users Association grants permission for cattle owners to graze cattle in the cultivation area. This is usually for a two-week period.

Ludmila Judistit, the 49-year-old cattle framer, told Guyana Times that on Tuesday last, her employee was grazing cattle at Number Naught when he was approached by the stray catchers.
According to her, when the stray catchers started rounding up the cattle, they were told that he was there with the animals. She related that the young man showed the pass to the stray catchers and they told him that the pass was not valid. A copy of the pass was shown to this publication. The document states that the woman was granted permission by the Number 52/74 Waters Users Association to graze 80 heads of cattle within the Number Naught and Number 55 area.
According to her, the impounders took the cattle to the Number 51 Police Station Pound. On their way there, they had to pass another animal pound which falls under the Neighbourhood Democratic Council and provides water and grass for impounded animals, unlike the pound at the Police Station.
According to Judistit, a mother of two, when she got to the Number 51 Police Station, the stray catcher was still there and was engaging a Policeman. She said she approached and saw him showing his license to impound stray animals.
“‘I take out the paper and show the Policeman that I have permission to graze the cows there. I told him that the Water Users Association gave me permission and the Sergeant did not even take the paper to look at it. He told me that the man has a paper to impound the cows,” the former teacher, now farmer, said.
The woman claimed it is for that reason that she suspects there is collusion between officers at the station and the stray catchers.
On Thursday last, she paid $344,400 plus an additional fee for the days the animals were impounded. The farmer said she has since raised the matter with Police Commissioner Lesley James and Deputy Commissioner Paul Williams. (Andrew Carmichael)