Police say doing all it can to recapture AK-47 cop
The police force faced major embarrassment yesterday when it admitted the escape of a cop who was being investigated over an AK-47 rifle smuggled from Eve Leary.
The escape of the cop Shevon Marks was reported in yesterday’s Stabroek News and the police statement came later in the morning.
The statement said that the administration of the Guyana Police Force wished to “confirm that Corporal 18404 Shevon Marks who was under investigation in connection with a high powered rifle and who was under confinement at Brickdam Police Station, has since escaped and all efforts are on stream to locate him”.
The Force said it has noted certain adverse insinuations in the public domain and wished to assure that this case is not being treated differently from other cases where members of the Force are alleged to have committed grave offences.
“It must be emphasised, for the information of the less informed members of the Media, that members of the Force who are under investigation for various offences are placed under close arrest for a period of seventy-two (72) hours and thereafter under open arrest, in a confined/restricted manner until the legal advice is obtained.
“The disappearance of this Subordinate Officer, based on initial enquiries seemed to have occurred sometime on Sunday night last but was officially reported to Police Headquarters about 1500h. yesterday (Wednesday).
“In the circumstances, the Office of Professional Responsibility has launched an investigation, as directed.”
Last Tuesday morning, five members of the Guyana Police Force including an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) were placed under close arrest after they allegedly smuggled the high-powered rifle out of the TSU compound.
On Friday, three of the ranks were allowed to go about their daily lives under open arrest while the two others, including Marks, remained under close arrest with police supervision.
On Monday, while Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum had told reporters that the police had completed their investigations and the file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice, he had also disclosed that the Corporal was placed under open arrest and that the investigators had recommended disciplinary charges for the ASP and other ranks who were on duty on the night of the incident.
Marks was supposed to appear in court that very day, but was a no show.
Blanhum had also disclosed, “So far the police have been encountering some difficulties in restoring the number on the firearm and on that basis it’s very difficult to state whether the weapon is the property of the Guyana Police Force.”
However, he said, “based on the general appearance, it is not the property of the force but still we would like to have the number to see if it was lodged with the police.”