Leader of the opposition PNCR, Robert Corbin has condemned the joint operation in Buxton yesterday, which he said was a breach of Buxtonians' constitutional rights.

He promised that his party would conduct a full investigation into the operation.

While acknowledging that the police had to take action to curb crime in the country, Corbin said he would commend them whenever they took positive action. He said yesterday's operation was not one that could help crime.

Corbin suggested that because the police did not make a public statement or announcement prior to yesterday's operation it was a breach of the residents' rights. He pointed out that it was not the first time the police were involved in such an operation and they have had about four in the past where the treatment meted out to the residents was not in keeping with their rights.

He did not agree that if the police had announced their planned operation their officers would have been compromised.

In the past, during some operations the police came under gunfire.

Corbin opined that the police were criminalizing residents, as according to him, the police were yesterday stopping and searching schoolchildren as young as seven years, and in some instances searching the children's lunch kits. A joint services source yesterday said that the police were targeting persons between the ages of 16 and 45.

Asked whether his party acknowledged that there were serious criminal problems in Buxton, Corbin said Buxton was not the only area that had problems, there were many others. He added that the method employed by the police did not help the situations, but rather alienated the residents of Buxton.

"They are picking up decent young men and taking them to Eve Leary and putting numbers across their chests. They are criminalizing the residents. Our party has condemned crime for a long time…," Corbin said.

  Flashback...

Shawn Richardson (above)  called Sherwin or ‘Jungle Commando', who reportedly confessed to the murder of taxi driver Vivakanand Nandalall.

Another man, who hails from Buxton on the East Coast of Demerara, is presently before the courts for arranging to collect the ransom money, stemming from the kidnapping.

Three men were arrested yesterday in another police sting operation targeting ‘trunkers' in the city.

 

He suggested that yesterday's operation was only done to appease the critics.