Black Immigrant Daily News

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THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine. – Photo by David Reid

THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine has urged residents of Parlatuvier and its environs to use their new internet service responsibly.

On Tuesday, the Telecommunications Authority (TATT) launched its Universal Service Fund Broadband Infrastructure project at the Parlatuvier Multipurpose Facility for residents of the rural community and its surrounding areas. It is the first to be implemented in the country.

The project is being managed by Columbus Communications TT Ltd, commonly known as Flow.

Augustine, who is also the representative for Parlatuvier/Speyside/L’Anse Fourmi, told the residents they must use their newfound access wisely.

“I don’t want to see with this access, people cussing each other out on Facebook, people doing lives trying to outdo some of those violent characters they see down in Trinidad. That is not Tobago at all,” he said in an address.

“So we have a responsibility to raise the bar in terms of what we put out there about ourselves.”

Augustine said the high-speed internet access should not be used an opportunity to share the latest gossip on WhatsApp.

“It has to be more than being able to snap a picture and send it out on Facebook or on Twitter or Instagram or to post a picture video. It has to go beyond that.”

Saying parents also have a responsibility to their children, Augustine said parenting must go beyond the physical space to include the virtual world as well.

The advanced technology, he said, must also be used to enhance the area’s offerings, such as tourism.

In this regard, Augustine urged small guesthouse and villa operators to use the internet to promote their businesses.

“We need to have influencers sharing information now about what we have to offer in the area.”

Using the construction of the new Parlatuvier fishing depot as an example, he said: “Maybe using this access, you could say to the rest of the island when you have fish and what type of fish you have in real time. It is about a 25-30-minute drive from Scarborough, so people can come and eat fresh fish.”

With the new broadband service, Augustine said, community centres, schools and other public spaces will have internet access to facilitate residents who still may not be able to afford it at home.

Residents, he said, will also be able to reconnect with their loved ones who have moved out of the community.

Augustine also advised the residents to share their stories.

“Because I could tell you something – Parlatuvier, L’Anse Fourmi, Bloody Bay, you are far more blessed than you think, and they way you live is far more advantageous than you think. There is a world out there who would love to hear and see your stories and see how you live.”

He recalled people have often referred to the area as being behind God’s back.

“But with the coming of this access, you right in front of God’s face now.”

Saying the internet is often viewed with trepidation, especially among some senior citizens, Minister of Digital Transformation Hassel Bacchus urged residents to embrace the technology.

He told them it must not be used as a toy but as a mechanism to facilitate their growth and development.

Bacchus assured the broadband service will provide “a level and equalising playing field” for the residents.

TATT chairman Gilbert Peterson, SC, Rabindranath Maharaj, director of Technology Operations, Columbus Communications, and TATT CEO Cynthia Reddock-Downes also spoke.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

El comisionado del Negociado de la Policía, Antonio López Figueroa, calificó el jueves como una falta de respeto el reportaje periodístico sobre el uso de las balas huecas (balas de defensa), las cuales se utilizaron en el incidente donde murió un menor de 16 años, ultimado por agentes.

“El reportaje que salió hoy es una falta de respeto a la Policía de Puerto Rico al compararla con un individuo que disparó a mansalva en una escuela en Estados Unidos. Nosotros no somos asesinos, somos policías. Estamos para proteger vida y propiedades”, dijo López Figueroa en conferencia de prensa.

“Y le he dicho a mis policías: ‘Vamos a intervenir con sensibilidad, respeto y empatía. La persona que tú le sirves, que piense que es un familiar tuyo’. El único que puede hablar de cualquier situación que se presente es el policía y el ciudadano que esté en la intervención”, añadió.

Según el coronel, esa munición es permitida por el gobierno federal y su uso es legal.

“Pregunto: ¿los individuos que matan a inocentes todos los días, que matan a personas que están metidas en el narcotráfico, qué tipos de municiones usan?”, señaló.

La llamada bala hueca produce un efecto letal mayor en el cuerpo que recibe el impacto. En el caso de Javier Cordero Morales, de 16 años, quien murió abatido por la Policía el pasado primero de agosto, luego de supuestamente robar un vehículo de motor, recibió, al menos, 12 impactos de bala en su cuerpo con ese proyectil, luego de que supuestamente intentara atropellar a los agentes que intervenían con él.

En cuanto a la propuesta de sacar las investigaciones administrativas cuando ocurre un evento de exceso de fuerza, López Figueroa expresó que él acatará la ley que sea aprobada.

Nota relacionada: Una falta de respeto para el comisionado de la Policía comparación de policías  con asesino de Uvalde, Texas

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) has stepped up its community interventions to steer young people away from harmful substances.

Substance Abuse Officer for the NCDA’s Eastern Region, Marisha Burgess, told JIS News that activities are targeted at youth deemed at-risk, who are not in school or training, and are being undertaken in partnership with the Social Development Commission (SDC).

“[We] have been going into communities with prevention and treatment programmes, and sensitising communities about the services that we provide,” she said

Burgess noted that there has been an increase in the abuse of substances during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and the support being provided by the NCDA aims to help persons to quit while equipping them with the skills to make healthy life decisions.

Burgess noted that the intervention also involves setting up support groups, where parents who have children who are substance users can benefit from help and knowledge about how to treat with situations that arise within the home.

Among the NCDA’s support programmes for young people is STRIVE, which is designed to address special segments of the population that are at higher risk for substance abuse.

It was also targeted at children who are in State care due to abuse or abandonment, young offenders, school dropouts or students that are failing academically.

STRIVE is a life skills programme that enables individuals to develop adaptive and positive behaviours to deal with the challenges of everyday life.

STEP UP is another NCDA initiative, which targets in-school participants who are experimenting with drugs, but their use does not meet the clinical definition of addiction.

The programme is focused on providing students with access to help and information about drugs, development of social and life skills, strengthening school bonding and successful school experiences, development of self-knowledge and self-esteem, and recognition of strong and safe relationships.

The NCDA is an agency of the Ministry of Health and Wellness. Its mission is to make Jamaica a better place to live through the elimination of legal and illicit substance misuse by delivering research driven public education, prevention, and treatment programmes.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Police Commissioner(ag) Clifton Hicken has disclosed that the Guyana Police Force is awaiting legal advice before making any decision on the fate of Police Sergeant Dion Bascom, who came out last week with some damning allegations of cover-up in the murder of Ricardo Fagundes, called “Paper Shorts”, by a senior Police rank.

During a press briefing on Wednesday evening, Commissioner Hicken reminded reporters that Police officers take an oath when joining the Force, and are also required to adhere to a certain “ethical behaviour” while in law enforcement.

The Top Cop referred to a previous statement made on Tuesday in which he described Bascom’s actions as a “breach of the code of conduct.” At Wednesday’s press conference, Hicken further stated that, in addition to the allegations, the Police Sergeant’s outburst and use of profanities were “unbecoming” of an officer.

Responding to a question about Bascom’s fitness to continue serving in the Police Force, Hicken explained that this would be determined after advice is obtained from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

“There is a process, disciplinary process, to deal with such a behaviour. And so, for that process to commence, we await the legal advice of the DPP. But I can tell you there is a process that must be followed before any Police rank can be dismissed from the Force, so it has nothing to do with my perception, or it has nothing to do with what I feel. If the process is followed, and he is not found guilty, so shall it be. If the process is followed and he’s guilty, so shall it be,” the Police Commissioner posited.

As it is, Sergeant Bascom is currently on sick leave, based upon his request.

The bombshell allegations made by the cop during a Facebook live last Thursday had prompted the Top Cop to order the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) to conduct a probe into the matter. That investigation has since been completed, and according to Hicken in his statement on Tuesday, the findings and recommendations have been sent to the DPP for legal advice.

“Let better judgement prevail. Wait on the advice of the DPP, and then we are going to initiate [actions] based on the advice,” the Police Commissioner further told reporters on Wednesday.

Damaged public trust

Commissioner Hicken outlined that it is important to address the allegations made by Bascom, since he is a senior rank of the Force and his claims can damage public trust in the organisation – something which Hicken said he has been working to build at the community level.

Against this backdrop, Head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Police Force, Wendell Blanhum, made a presentation during Wednesday’s press briefing in which he debunked some of the allegations made by Bascom.

He firstly dealt with the coverup allegations in connection with the gunning down of “Paper Shorts” outside a popular Main Street, Georgetown night spot more than a year ago.

Sergeant Bascom is alleging that the main suspect in that probe, Rondell Bacchus, was just a front to take the fall for the murder of Fagundes.

But in his presentation, Blanhum disclosed that it was the lawyer of Roger Khan, a close associate of “Paper Shorts”, who had directed the Police to Bacchus as a suspect.

The Crime Chief shared screenshots of the conversation with the attorney, who sent information to the Police about Bacchus.

“…We’re showing evidence to support our position that the Police didn’t target Rondell Bacchus, as is being falsely peddled by Mr Dion Bascom…,” Blanhum stated.

Moreover, the Crime Chief dismissed Bascom’s claims that no action was taken by the Force on information he provided that linked another suspect – Mark Richmond, a private security guard – to the Fagundes murder.

According to Blanhum, Bascom had told his superiors at the time that a popular businessman from Essequibo was using him (Bascom) to go after Richmond. The Crime Chief said it is known that the businessman and Sergeant Bascom are close friends.

“Dion Bascom’s claims that no further action was taken in relation to Mark Richmond are clearly misleading and false, since it was he who told investigators that it was a businessman from Essequibo who had a personal problem with Mark Richmond’s employer. He further indicated that the businessman wanted to use him,” the CID Head highlighted.

In fact, when questioned during the press conference about Bascom’s relationship with the “Essequibo businessman”, Commissioner Hicken contended that this matter would be further dealt with upon the receipt of legal advice from the DPP on the way forward with the Sergeant.

Absurd, ridiculous

Another allegation that the Police Sergeant made, which was rubbished, is that the Police, using a device, had been able to link Richmond to the crime scene on the night of the murder.

“Mr Bascom’s claims are absurd, ridiculous, and at the same time hilarious… The Guyana Police Force does not have any device to identify criminals at a crime scene, as was falsely peddled by Bascom,” the Crime Chief has said.

Further, Blanhum stated that the Force’s technical officer has vehemently denied these claims by the Sergeant, adding that they were never at the crime scene together.

“Therefore, Dion Bascom is not being honest in this regard, and is manufacturing false or concocted information out of malice,” Blanhum added.

He outlined that the Police Force has been receiving assistance from an internationally recognised law enforcement agency in the Fagundes murder probe, and by making these cover-up allegations, Bascom is not only implicating local ranks, but also several foreign experts and investigators who have visited the CID HQ in relation to this matter.

Sergeant Bascom came out with these damning allegations days after he and others were busted with cocaine during a Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) operation last week Monday. He claimed that he was set-up for speaking out about the alleged cover-up, and that Blanhum had directed CANU to release his photo to the media – something which the Crime Chief denied during Wednesday’s press conference.

Meanwhile, as the Police await advice from the OPR on the findings and recommendations, Sergeant Bascom, through his lawyer, has being calling for an independent probe to be conducted. Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn on Tuesday indicated that there are standard procedures in place for such matters to be dealt with, and he further declared his full confidence in the OPR conducting a proper investigation into this matter.

In the meantime, Police Sergeant Bascom has written President Dr Irfaan Ali, seeking witness protection after reportedly being threatened.

Since making his allegations, Bascom is facing three lawsuits that run into several millions of dollars. They are from Police Superintendent Mitchell Caesar, the senior cop whom he alleges is covering-up Fagundes’s murder; from Mark Richmond; and from Richmond’s employer, businessman Azruddin Mohamed. (This story was first published by Guyana Times)

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