Credit union wasn’t alleged robbers’ original target — sources

The six people who allegedly attempted to rob the GECCU credit union in South Rivers around 3 p.m. Tuesday are alleged to have initially planned to target another financial institution, iWitness News has learned.

A source familiar with the situation told iWitness News that police officers were dispatched to the credit union after learning of a plot to rob another financial institution in the east of the country.

At a press conference in Kingstown on Wednesday, police spokesman Superintendent of Police Junior Simmons commended Superintendent of Police Hesran Ballantyne and his team for their actions in thwarting the robbery attempt.

Ballantyne, an experienced detective who celebrated 30 years of service this week, is the officer in command of the Eastern Division of the police force.

Simmons praised Ballantyne and his staff “for the tremendous work that they did yesterday to foil that attempted robbery at GECCU in South River and what would have been a very brutal mass casualty incident yesterday.

“So they did a wonderful job and they must be commended for that. And we need to follow his lead as police officers. If we can be that alert and proactive, then you’ll be better equipped and able to safeguard our communities,” the police spokesman said.

Speaking at the same press conference, acting Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of crime fighting, Trevor “Buju” Bailey said that four males and two females, aged 22 to 28, were in police custody in connection with the attempted heist.

He declined to give their exact addresses but said they are from Central Kingstown, South Leeward and Central Leeward.

Bailey praised the efforts of residents of the North Central Windward village in helping police to apprehend the suspects.

Videos circulating on social media show a woman sitting in the back of an unmarked police pickup.

In other videos, people said to be civilians are seen beating men said to be suspects, even as they are in police custody, with no observable effort by the police to stop the beatings.

In one video, filmed along the banks of a river, a man, said to be a police officer in plain clothes wearing what appears to be a bulletproof vest with the words “SVG POLICE” printed onto it, slaps another man, said to be one of the suspect, even as the suspect is not resisting.

In that same video, as the police officer drags the man into the river, another man holding what appears to be a pistol in his hand, slams the suspect head towards the ground and stomps on him.

Meanwhile, at the press conference, Bailey said it was “a very brazen attempt to conduct a robbery” of  the credit union.

“Yesterday, persons who were armed with firearms opened fire on the police who were in the immediate vicinity of the credit union,” the chief detective said.

He said police returned fire and apprehended six people with the assistance of the community.

Fielding questions from the media, Bailey said that no police officers were injured in the gunfire.

He said the suspects were treated at various health facilities for injuries they sustained during their apprehension.

Reports suggest that one of the women who are in custody was “a driver”, a suggestion that there might have been a getaway vehicle.

However, Bailey declined to say how the suspects had arrived at the scene, telling the media, “… at this stage of the investigation, we will rather not disclose information along that line …. But we are aware of how they got there.”

The robbery attempt at the credit union in South Rivers is the second attack on a credit union in St. Vincent and the Grenadines this year.

On May 10, armed robbers made off with an undisclosed sum of money from the Barrouallie Branch of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers’ Co-operative Credit Union.

Immediately after the credit robbery, there were complaints to iWitness News about a lack of immediate police response to the crime.

No arrest has been made in connection with that robbery.

Asked if there was any link between the robbery in Barrouallie and the attempted robbery in South Rivers, acting Commissioner of Police Enville Williams, who also attended the press conference, said it was “too early to say.

“So, we are looking at all the possibilities, looking at everything that is out there and see if there is any link between both sets of crimes and check from there.”

As regards possible charges against the suspect, Bailey said that the investigation was “in its infancy stage.

“Naturally, at the conclusion of our investigation, where the chips fall, it will lie and who is to be charged will be charged.

“And I’m sure that the commissioner and the Public Relations Department will release in due course, once that action has been taken by the police where we lay charges, the nation will be informed as to who is charged and what they have been charged with.”

The senior detective said he could not overemphasise “the tremendous support that the community, working alongside law enforcement, [gave] yesterday in preventing persons who were so brazen during high daytime, prevented them from getting away with and moving off with property that does not belong to them.”

He said this shows that when the community works “with law enforcement, with their friend, the police — and we are the friends of the community — that coupled together, we can achieve a lot of things”.

Bailey urged people who know of criminal activities to continue to “embrace your local police, share the information with your police.

“If you share the information, then we have a duty to act on that information,” Bailey said. “We will act and we will achieve together a lot of things.”

Meanwhile, GECCU said on Wednesday that its South Rivers branch will remain closed until further notice, as a result of the attempted robbery.

“We deeply regret the negative effect which the incident has had on our employees, members, the community of South Rivers and the general public,” the financial institution said. 

“We are reviewing our security protocols and measures will be put in place to enhance security at all offices of the credit union. We remain committed to the safety and security of all stakeholders,” GECCU said in a social media post.