Guyana Police Headquarters fire updates: OPR section destroyed

Guyana: Major losses were on Saturday withdrawn after a quick response from the Guyana Fire Service issued in the fire at the Guyana Police Force’s Office for Professional Responsibility (OPR), implying made under control. This ended in saving the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), which is in the same building in Eve Leary. Prime Minister says respective investigations are ongoing into how the fire began. A quick response from the Guyana Fire Service has appeared in Saturday’s fire at the GPF’s Office for Professional Responsibility being taken under control. [caption id="attachment_38997" align="alignnone" width="960"] Guyana Police Headquarters fire updates: OPR section destroyed[/caption] Prime Minister, Hon. (ret'd) Brigadier Mark Phillips, Minister of Home Affairs, Hon. Robeson Benn, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Hon. Gail Teixeira, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs SC. Mohabir Anil Nandlall and several other Ministers of Government were on the ground. Speaking with media members, Prime Minister Phillips said, “From the looks of things, the fire would not spread to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions”. The DPP’s office is housed in the same building. [caption id="attachment_38998" align="alignnone" width="960"] Guyana Police Headquarters fire updates: OPR section destroyed[/caption] Commissioner of Police, Nigel Hoppie, said all documents housed in the Office of the Director Public Prosecutions had been removed. The Commissioner also stated that systems are in place to handle the loss of records in the section housed the Office of Professional Responsibility. An investigation will be undertaken to determine the origin of the fire. In addressing the media, the Prime Minister said, “we have been able to save the DPP part of the building. So, the fire assistance is doing their job, and you do not expect, based on what we are witnessing here, for the fire to spread away from where it is right now.” [caption id="attachment_38999" align="alignnone" width="640"] Prime Minister (Ret’d) Brigadier Hon. Mark Phillips[/caption] He further continued that “the investigation will assist us in determining whether it is accidental or if there is some other purpose or reason behind this fire. So, we require to allow the fire team and the police and law enforcement firms to do their work… the significant thing right now is that we have the fire under control, not likely to expand beyond this point and the investigation into what may be the beginning of the fire has started.”

Minister Benn stated that the fire had placed the operations of the OPR and DPP in disarray. The minister added he believes that Guyana is experiencing a “trial by fire.”

“It seems that a subliminal note is being put around the regions starting from some fire-technic willing person in the United States and maybe, possibly much more than possible that the events we witness and the timings at which they occur are linked to those more than subliminal messages about Georgetown burning if the PPP does not do whatever,” Minister Benn told.

“We will stand strong here; we will make certain that the service of our administration and the development of our nation proceeds,” he stated.