On Friday, April 9, 2021, officers assigned to the Sauteurs Police Station were dispatched to police the annual Saraca event in the village of River Sallee, St. Patrick. Permission was granted by the authorities for a scaled down version of the event and only take-away services were recommended for this activity. This activity ended incident free.
Subsequent to the permitted event, a number of individuals blatantly ignored the COVID-19 Regulations and gathered at a community shop beyond midnight, the point at which the curfew takes effect. In an attempt to shut down the operation and disperse the crowd, officers were met with acts of retaliation by several civilians, inclusive of the throwing of missiles and explosive sounds similar to gunshots. The roadway was covered in broken bottles and was also blocked with debris. Three police officers were injured in the process.
As a result of this, Clyde Thomas, a 39-year old shopkeeper of La Taste, St. Patrick, was arrested and charged for the offence of Exposing For Sale Intoxicating Liquor Without Being the Holder of a Liquor Dealers Licence. He was informed that he will be further charged for offences under the COVID-19 regulations. Several other persons were detained in connection with the incident, and charges may be preferred against them.
In an unrelated matter, a resident of Dunfermline, St. Andrew, was taken to seek medical attention after he was attacked at a bar at Soubise, St. Andrew, on Sunday 11th April, 2021. Officers who responded to the scene, also faced challenges with large crowds at two bars in the area, during the curfew hours.
The Royal Grenada Police Force views these latest examples of disrespect for law and order, as extremely alarming and intends to take a zero tolerance approach against these emerging trends.