Patentia woman allegedly beaten by policeman over noise nuisance report

Bibi Wahab, a 37-year-old businesswoman who lives in Patentia on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD) has alleged that she was physically abused by a police officer on Old Year’s night.

The woman told the News Room that police officers visited her house at about 23:00 hrs on December 31, investigating noise nuisance complaints.

Though she said that several people in her street were also playing music loudly, Wahab said her husband complied with an officer’s request to go to the Wales police station.

But the engagement between Wahab and the officers took a turn for the worse when a male officer allegedly tried to apprehend her for the same noise nuisance complaint.

Wahab said that she initially questioned why she was being apprehended since her husband was already being taken to the police station. And, she does not believe that two individuals from the same household should be apprehended for the same complaint of noise nuisance.

As she engaged the policeman, he allegedly snatched a hammock she was holding onto, nearly causing her four-year-old son to fall out and injure himself. That caused Wahab to angrily engage the officer.

Not wanting the matter to escalate, however, she said that she agreed to also go to the police station but not before she locked up her house and made sure that her young children would be safe.

“(A female officer) told me that I can take my children with me to the station and I told her okay but let me lock up my house first,” the woman said.

As she attempted to do so in the company of the female officer, Wahab said that a male police officer slammed in her door, pushing her neighbour and four-year-old child inside the house.

Wahab also claimed that the officer “chucked” her and pushed her inside the police van.

“And when I raise up and I speak, he slapped me and burst my lip,” Wahab said.

At the police station, the woman said that she and her husband were placed on $40,000 bail each for the noise nuisance offence but also for the offences of disorderly behaviour and assaulting a police officer.

She claims, however, that she never abused any officer. And Wahab feels as though she has been unjustly treated. She also shared photographs with the News Room that show black and blue marks about her body.

As such, she has lodged complaints with the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security and the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).

The News Room has been able to confirm that an investigation into the alleged abuse has been ordered and the matter is now receiving the attention of the OPR’s Georgetown office.

With the matter now under investigation, police officials could not comment on the complaint.