HEAD of the Information Technology Department of the Guyana Police Force, Superintendent Shivpersaud Bacchus, lost his service weapon and a large sum of cash when he lost control of his car and crashed on the East Bank of Demerara.
Bacchus, who it is said suffers from seizures, had a bout of the illness while he was on his way to Georgetown Friday morning. As a result, he lost consciousness and control of his vehicle and crashed into a fence. During that process, a vehicle which was travelling close behind him pulled up after witnessing that the policeman’s vehicle had careened off the road.

Rather than assisting the police officer, a man who rushed to his assistance used the opportunity to loot his vehicle, running off with the service weapon and cash which he had in the vehicle at the time of the accident. The incident took place in front of the Demerara Distillers Limited.

However, in a press statement issued by the Guyana Police Force, Public Relations Officer Jairam Ramlakhan, said that the accident was caused by two pedestrians who were attempting to cross the road at the time which prompted the officer to take evasive measures. The release also indicated that a team of officers visited the hospital where the welfare of Bacchus was checked on. The team included Assistant Commissioner Maxine Graham and Assistant Superintendent Jewel Sullivan.

The police release did not mention the reported disappearance of a firearm from the vehicle of Superintendent Bacchus during the crash. This is even as Assistant Commissioner of Police and ‘A’ Division Commander Leslie James did confirm that particular development.
When this publication made contact with the Police, PRO, Jairam Ramlakhan he responded “You know any firearm was missing in the accident?” When Ramlakhan was told that other senior police officers confirmed to this publication that indeed a weapon was missing from the vehicle along with live rounds, the PRO then said that he was not aware of that and nothing of that nature was communicated to him.

This newspaper was reliably informed that the police are on the hunt for two men who approached the vehicle and removed the weapon and some amount of cash before speeding away from the scene. CCTV footage which was reviewed by the police also confirmed this and a hunt is on for a white car. A senior manager at DDL also confirmed that the police asked and were allowed to review the footage of the CCTV in an effort to identify the persons and the vehicle they showed up with. The man also confirmed that ranks indicated that a weapon and money were missing from the officer’s vehicle.