Dear Editor,
The Police in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) – which stretches from Charity to Supenaam – are creating undue inconvenience and hardship for the residents in the district by not confining their operations within the ambit of the law.
While there is no provision in the law for settlements to be made at the station level, the on-going illegal practice is taking place with detrimental effects on the community.
To the best of knowledge and belief as a layman, the only person vested with the authority not to prosecute any criminal matter is the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) with the proper and rightful forum to make settlements being at the courts.
With court sittings in the district being held on a regular basis, a difficulty can never exist by the parties so involved in a criminal matter at any time to effect a settlement there.
But here it is in yet another incident of the kind; a female villager of mine from Suddie lodged ,000 as bail at the Suddie Police Station on May 24, 2017, for the release of her son who was incarcerated for being involved in a fight with a man.
On the receipt issued and shown to me, specific mention was made of the money being lodged for the appearance of her son at the Suddie Magistrate’s Court on June 1, 2017.
After more than one month, a charge is yet to be filed against her son with the poor woman expressing her eagerness to get a refund of her bail money.
The woman expressed a more worrying situation when she was advised by a rank to get out of a Court Agreement of Settlement from Justice of Peace to settle the matter at the station rather than for it to engage the attention of the Court.
This move was however rejected by the woman with a given reason that she did not have money to pay the JP.
It is clear as daylight that settlements made at the station will never help to suppress criminal activities with court action being better to serve as a deterrent from monetary or custodial penalties. A fine will see the Government benefiting from revenue collection.
Many impecunious residents have had to suffer the loss of their bail money in this hard guava season through no fault of their own when it eventually ends up at the Police Finance Office in the city to become ever so costly to redeem.
The National Security Minister who is a qualified lawyer is being urged to exterminate this malpractice once and for all having regard to the fact that this responsibility falls under his portfolio.
Yours faithfully,
Baliram Persaud
