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Roatan and Bay Islands Discussion List Archive
| Posted On: | 23-Feb-2005 |
| From: | "matthew harper" [nobobs.....hn] |
| Subject: | [roatan] crime on Roatan |
I handled security for Parrot Tree for several years.I had a good relationship with the police particularly the DGIC ( CID ).On one occasion there was an armed robbery with an american wounded ( after he had put up a courageous fight ) The DGIC at my and John Edwards insistence went to the scene of the crime and promised to investigate.I badgered them for days afterwards and they kept whining about not having diesel for their pick-up so we bought them some.They did very little besides doing a sightseeing tour of First Bight.I and my guards through numerous local grasses discovered the identity of the perpetrator together with evidences and witnesses who were willing to come and testify.I threw this in their laps and they did nothing except gave me a litany of excuses why not.The apathy of these who served to protect us was shocking. Recently an elderly friend/neighbour of mine John Pinkerton was robbed at gunpoint for the 10th time for the past few years.He managed to identify the two suspects .Through my local contacts I confirmed this together with proof and witnesses .I presented all this again to the DGIC who took a report and promised to raid the house of the perps. I even suggested that they arrest the guys for 24hrs ( which you can do without a warrant ) to sweat them a little into confessing with a view to putting them away.Of course they did absolutely nothing. I was annoyed and confronted the DGIC chief who is well trained and seems well intentioned and he said that he understood my frustrations and those of others ( not only expats ) but told me that on many occasions to get a warrant he has to go through a public prosecutor ( fiscal ) who is running shy of the human rights organisations who keep constant pressure on the government to reform its policies.The fiscal has to be watertight on bringing someone in. On most occasions when the DGIC has someone in custody they have been released on technicalities more often than none because the criminals are under aged and once in jail the tough swaggering gangster changes into the poor innocent teenager and whose indignant mother wails and weeps to realease her poor son who would never harm anyone .A parent of a criminal can request the services of the 'public attorney' ( defensor publico) and before you know it the criminal is free .He lies low for a month or so and then goes out with his friend again to repeat the mischief. The police have been accused of apathy and Im sure to some extent that is so but until the country's judicial system is completely overhauled and Ricardo Maduros hard work continues into the next presidency there will be little room for improvement and that unfortunately citizens will have to take the law into their own hands when attacked just as our friend s in Port Royal bravely did.A step in the right direction was the overwhelming nomination as National party presidency of Porfirio Lobo on Sunday.Congress now , at last , recognizes the importance of the Bay Islands and seems committed to see change and improvements in preventive policing in the area.Lets wait and see. Matthew Harper http://www.roatanet.com To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/roatan/ roatan- : | |
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