Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond says allegations surrounding the death of Gavin Kennard Douglas following his detention at the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station are serious and cannot be dismissed, and has called for an urgent and impartial investigation.
In a statement on the 32-year-old’s death, Walrond acknowledged the state’s responsibility for the safety of persons in police custody and said wrongdoing, if established, must be followed by appropriate action.
“When someone is taken into police custody, the state assumes the responsibility for that person’s safety and well-being,” she said.
Douglas’s family has raised allegations about his treatment at the station and reported observing marks on his body.
Walrond said she was aware of the allegations but stressed that the evidence must establish what occurred.
“Those allegations are serious and cannot be dismissed. At the same time, we must allow the evidence to establish exactly what occurred,” she stated.
The minister confirmed that the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) had commenced an investigation.
“I expect that investigation to be thorough, impartial, and conducted with urgency. There must be accountability wherever the evidence leads. If wrongdoing is established, appropriate action must follow.”
Extending condolences to Douglas’s family, Walrond acknowledged their grief and need for answers. She said the investigative process must establish the truth about his death and assured relatives that the matter would be treated with the seriousness it demanded.
Douglas, of Crane, West Coast Demerara, had been detained after police reportedly stopped the car he was driving at a roadblock in connection with an alleged robbery.
His mother, Colette Jones, an inspector attached to the Special Constabulary Department, told this publication that no one had contacted her to explain what had happened. She said she found her son already lying motionless at the station.
Jones reported observing swelling on the left side of his neck and frothing at his mouth. She also said she subsequently heard at the West Demerara Regional Hospital that he had allegedly been tasered three times. That allegation had not been independently established.
His sister, Reanna Douglas, said relatives received differing information about the reason for his detention. She described him as a father of one who worked as a taxi driver and sometimes in construction.
WIN parliamentarian Gordon Barker had also called for an independent and transparent investigation, while cautioning against premature conclusions.
Discussion