Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed yesterday complained that his vehicle was damaged after being clamped at Parika on Saturday and was subsequently searched by police, while the Guyana Police Force said the clamping was part of a dangerous driving investigation.
In a statement which did not name Mohamed, the force said motor vehicle PAB 4000 was clamped near the Parika Stelling on October 10 following reports from commuters that it had been driven dangerously along the Cornelia Ida Public Road, West Coast Demerara.
“The clamping of the vehicle was therefore undertaken to facilitate the investigation and was not based on the identity or status of the vehicle’s occupant,” police said.
Mohamed, however, questioned the police action and alleged that a traffic matter had escalated into a search of his vehicle for illegal firearms and ammunition. In posts on his Facebook page yesterday, he also alleged that the vehicle had been stoned while it remained clamped at Parika.
According to his account, the driver, identified only as Mr Macpherson, had been travelling to Parika to collect him and his team following a visit to Essequibo. Mohamed said the driver was charged with dangerous driving, held for approximately seven hours and released on $50,000 station bail. He is expected to appear in court on Wednesday, Mohamed added.
While Mohamed’s post described the alleged traffic offence as overtaking, police said the reports concerned undertaking several vehicles.
The force said it had reviewed footage from the Safe Country Camera network which corroborated the commuters’ reports. According to police, the footage showed PAB 4000 being driven dangerously at approximately 3.15 pm on Saturday while travelling west along the Cornelia Ida Public Road.
Police said the driver was being investigated for dangerous driving under Section 36(1) of the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act. Their statement did not identify the driver or announce a charge, bail or a court date.
In a separate post, Mohamed said that when he returned to collect the vehicle on Monday, its bonnet was visibly dented and a sizeable stone was lying nearby. His post said eyewitnesses had reported seeing police patrolling the area on Sunday.
“A vehicle in police custody should be secured and protected, not returned damaged,” the post stated, asking how the damage had occurred and who would be held accountable.
Mohamed further reported that nearly a dozen officers subsequently searched the vehicle before the wheel clamps were removed. An officer speaking in the video posted by Mohamed said they had received reports that the vehicle had an illegal firearm and that they were going to search for it. The officers then conducted a search of the vehicle. In the video, Mohamed later said the search had been completed and nothing was found.
He said the same vehicle had previously spent more than 30 days in police custody, after he was detained along with members of his staff at the Leonora Police Station, and alleged that his vehicles had been searched repeatedly for illegal firearms and ammunition.
Accusing President Irfaan Ali of using the force against him, Mohamed questioned the deployment of police resources to search the vehicle following a traffic complaint.
“Traffic enforcement must not become a pretext for disproportionate police action, and law enforcement resources must serve the public fairly and impartially,” his post stated.
The police release addressed the dangerous driving investigation and the reason for clamping the vehicle but did not address Mohamed’s allegations about the subsequent search or damage.
The force maintained that it was enforcing traffic laws impartially and said all road users were required to comply with the law.
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