Following damning allegations of corruption by several whistleblowers within the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Deputy Commissioner of Police and Crime Chief Lyndon Alves has been sent on administrative leave.
Crime Chief Lyndon Alves
This was confirmed by the acting Top Cop, Nigel Hoppie, on Tuesday.
“Mr Alves has been sent on leave to facilitate an investigation,” Hoppie, who is leading the force in the absence of Police Commissioner Leslie James – who is out of the jurisdiction, told Guyana Times.
According to reports, Alves was suspended from duties on Monday to facilitate the probe into allegations of corruption levelled against him.
Over the past weeks, ranks in Berbice blew the whistle on alleged corruption by the Crime Chief and claimed that he was shielding a few junior rogue ranks who have been linked to criminals.
On Tuesday, Hoppie attended the National Security Council (NSC) meeting, where a detailed report was expected to be presented for the matter to be discussed. The NSC meeting is headed by President David Granger and comprises security officials from the various law enforcement agencies.
However, the acting Police Commissioner would not divulge any other information about the issue.
Moreover, further efforts to get an update following the meeting were futile. In fact, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, when contacted on Tuesday evening, told this newspaper that he was busy with some “family issues” before cutting the call. Several attempts to get him later that night were in vain, while calls to the Government’s spokesperson, Joseph Harmon, also went unanswered.
Nevertheless, when contacted earlier on Tuesday, Alves indicated that he does not want to comment on the matter.
Recently, allegations have stemmed against a Lance Corporal detective in Berbice of being linked to the criminal network in the region.
This was revealed after the rank’s cell phone number was discovered in the phone of now dead criminal Kelvin ‘Kelly’ Shivgobin, who was shot and killed recently in the back lands of Black Bush Polder during a shootout with the police.
It was alleged that the rank was being protected by Alves, who had previously headed the Berbice division.
Last week, the GPF disclosed that a probe was launched by the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).
In August last year, President David Granger, during his search for a new Top Cop, said that he was looking for “unbribable” cops.
Handpicks
On August 29, 2018, President Granger had handpicked five top-ranking officials from the GPF for the top Police post, but former acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine had been excluded.
They were Assistant Commissioner of Police Lyndon Alves, Maxine Graham, Leslie James, Nigel Hoppie and Paul Williams.
Independent probe
Over the weekend, the Region Six Chairman, David Armogan, had called for an independent probe into the allegations, which he said are causing discomfort among residents and the business community in Berbice.
Furthermore, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) on Monday called out President David Granger for his silence on the matter despite being briefed on it. Saying it is perplexed by the Head of State’s reaction, the Opposition called for a wider probe into the matter.
“The PPP wishes to stress that the reports by whistleblowers, published by the local media corps, provide enough justification for a wider probe to be ordered, particularly since what is at stake is public confidence in the leadership of the Force and a test of the commitment to address the issue of corruption,” the Party noted in its missive on Monday.
