West Coast Demerara : The police today says several ranks were treated at the hospital for various injuries while they were on duty yesterday. According t o the police, at about 7pm yesterday, the police in “D” Division (West Demerara/East Bank Essequibo) commenced closing down music sets that were playing at Easter activities in the Division which included the Joe Vieira Park at Schoon Ord, WBD, the Windsor Forest Seawall, WCD, and Kastev Housing Scheme, Meten-Meer-Zorg, WCD. During the day the police had received several reports of noise nuisance at the Leonora and Den Amstel Police Stations from citizens.
Initially the operators of the music systems at all the locations complied and the sets were turned off. However, at about 7:45pm, a stereo system at the Windsor Forest Seawall, for which no permission was granted to play, started to play loud music again.
Further reports of noise nuisance were received by the police and a team of three police ranks, Corporal Sherwin Smith, Constable Oswin Fordyce and Constable Kevin Fileen, went and requested the operators to turn off the music system; whereupon they came under attack by a number of persons on the seawall who threw stones, bottles and other missiles at the ranks and rushed them and attempted to take away their firearms. As a result a scuffle ensued between the police ranks and the group of men during which the ranks received injuries to their bodies but managed to hold on to their firearms and arrest five of the men who were taken to the Leonora Police Station.
Later, at about 2015h. information was received by the police that persons were blocking the public roadway at Windsor Forest and were burning tires and other materials on the roadway and obstructing the free flow of traffic.
The police went to scene and came under attack with bottles, stones and other missiles being thrown at them and the police responded by discharging a round from a shotgun at the crowd which caused them to disperse.
The police also arrested eight more persons who were also taken to the Leonora Police Station.
It was subsequently found that two motor cars and a mini-bus that were parked on the Windsor Forest public road were damaged and this is suspected to have been done by persons among the crowd.
The three injured police ranks were treated at the Leonora Cottage Hospital and sent away.
Members of the Police Office of Professional Responsibilities were called in and have launched an investigation into the matter
