Over 50 kilos of drugs stolen in cop-locker burglary
George Town Police Station evidence lock-up
(CNS): The deputy governor has revealed that a whopping 24 kilos of cocaine and 33 kilos of ganja were stolen during a break-in at the George Town Police Station earlier this year. Having already caused public controversy as the RCIPS initially denied that the thieves had managed to get into the container located in the station yard, management finally admitted just a few weeks ago that it was not an attempted break-in but an actual burglary.
The quantity of drugs stolen was revealed after a parliamentary question asked by Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush in the LA Thursday morning. Deputy Governor Franz Manderson admitted that 57 kilos of drugs had been taken but no other items were missing as a result of the break-in.
Bush said he was concerned that the RCIPS had taken the burglary “rather lightly” when it had been denied in the first instance but later exposed in the media.
Police admit evidence taken in lock-up break-in
“All that hiding has come to the fore and acceptance that this quantity of drugs was stolen … this is a tremendous amount of drugs that are consumed in our country,” he said. “What has been done about this has anyone been reprimanded?”
Bush noted that two local officers from the prison were sacked several years ago when drugs had been stolen there but it seems no one has been held to account over this incident.
The deputy governor maintained, however, that the matter was being taken seriously and a full investigation was underway. He said warrants had been issued, arrests made and exhibits have been seized. Not wanting to go into detail, he said the investigation was ongoing.
“But I have been assured by the top command, in particular the commissioner … this matter has been given a top priority,” he added.
But Bush pressed on, asking how it could happen, given that the container was in a secure area of the police compound, as he pressed the DG to explain what he knew.
“A lot of the safeguards put in place to prevent this from happening didn’t work,” Manderson said, pointing to a failure to destroy the drugs immediately after seizure, as well as alarm systems not working, which is being looked at.
“It’s a very serious incident. It’s an attack on the police and our security services,” he said.
The deputy governor said he did not know who installed security system but said the drugs there had washed up on shore and were not linked to a court case. They were supposed to be destroyed but he did not know how long they had been there, he told the LA.
West Bay MLA Bernie Bush asked when something was going to happen about the catalogue of errors and mistakes that the commissioner of police has presided over, especially as in this case when he lied to the public about the missing drugs.
“The governor claims he is doing a good job. Is this a part of doing a good job?” he asked.
“The case is not finished and we need the facts to come out to find out where the blame lies before anyone can take action,” Manderson responded. “I think it is unfair to say the commissioner lied about the drugs not being stolen; that’s an operational decision when he gives out operational information.”
He added, “Sometimes you can’t tell the public everything they want to know.”
How do you all think the CIG afforded the Governors jaguar?
So the RCIP contracted the Security Centre to guard, provide an alarm , perhaps purchased the lock used to secure the container, Government contracts the Security Centre to provide CCTV Island wide, along with electronic monitoring of people again to the Security Centre, along with flying drones to intercept drugs being smuggled into the Prison, along with an xray machine for Customs, and all they have to show for the millions spent is well over a million dollars of drugs walked out of the Police Stations compound undetected, and the evidence container is a make shift setup that is worth a couple of thousand at most dollars. This does not as up. Those who hired the Security Centre and the face of the Security Centre Me. Stuart Bostock need to be held accountable and freely answerable to the people of this country. The Government cannot keep streaming millions of dollars into this company without real cause, and they need to deliver. It also begs the question of why when the Security Centre had close to a Million Dollars stolen from their accounts undetected, does the CI Government have confidence in them to protect the cpuntrys interests and with the repeated public failures to provide intended Services. Nothing is perfect but at some point incompetence has to be identified and handled. Schnazzy suit jackets, cool toys and a new building do not cut it alone, this is great marketing but at some point you must deliver and own the responsibility you have charged for.
I see people asking for Baines’s resignation and questions of Governor.
However, the reality is that a heist of this large size and its coverup can only be 1) accomplished due to unbelievable police incompetence or, 2) facilitated by many levels of police corruption.
I cannot imagine 1) being the answer here. In my opinion based on the case circumstances, this theft was facilitated internally. We can change 10 governors and police chiefs but this won’t go away.
The only way to address this situation is to engage a team of solid foreign crime investigators.
But why don’t we? Maybe corruption extends further than we actually think.
When you look at this there are problems from the get go.
When this was announced, the original statement should have said no comment, give a brief description and hid behind the on going investigation line. This would have been a much more honest option.
Instead the RCIP claimed there was no.actual break in and life goes on.
Now we learn that there was over a million dollars of drugs taken. This was a lie and willfull deception.
This does not appear that the initial statement was to protect operational integrity, but to protect, shield, and prevent further embarrassment for the RCIP, the Government, The Security Centre and the face of the Security Centre, Mr. Stuart Bostock.
If the original report was the later report, then it would have impeded further pursute of purchasing further products and services from The Security Centre such as the Drones, which the amount is not public, once again hiding behind operational integrity and taking pictures with Stuart Bostock of our highest elected Official and appointed Officials.
The track record and lack of delivery of intended Services by the Security Centre is a matter of Public Record as it is the public who is paying for it. When incidents like this happen , the RCIP looks incompetent, the services and products look impotent by the Security Centre and to repeatedly conceal failures of above mentioned, appears to look like the rumored controversy surrounding the Security Centre and why they win Governments confidence and ultimately their money start appearing to be factual.
The Security Centre has not delivered what it is suppose to. Whether or not it is a failure on their part, the Government cutting corners or something else, this needs to be addressed and if there is any conflict of interest, it needs to be terminated. With the millions of dollars that are streamed to the Security Centre by the Government, with the problems that have arisen, a transparent relationship needs to become available. It is unreasonable to keep using the Security Centre without any oversight and accountability and considering they themselves had close to a Million dollars stolen from their accounts. It appears the Security Centre cannot keep their own money protected, why without cause is this country trusting that they are capable and competent at securing the interests of the people? There is no apparent true Policing of the reasons why the Security Centre is doing the amount of business with the Government, with the amount of known failures with their work product.