Man arrested for damaging police service vehicle

The Manchester Police have arrested a man and are searching for two others who are believed to have been involved in the attack on a police service vehicle on Tuesday in Spaldings.

The police say the vehicle was stoned and attempts made to set it on fire.

The incident happened during the melee in which a bus driver was shot by a policeman.

“Both front and back windscreens have been extensively damaged, windows have been smashed and there were two attempts to set the car ablaze. The fires were able to be put out before the car caught fire,” Commanding Officer Superintendent Wayne Cameron told The Gleaner.

An angry mob attacked the police and the service vehicle following the shooting.

Cameron said the policeman in question is now on sick leave.

Meanwhile, Cameron is warning taxi drivers to desist from engaging in hostile behaviour when they interact with the police.

“The frequency with which they break the road traffic laws, we are going to put an end to that because we are going to have strong, consistent police presence there. I am sending a strong warning to the taxi operators, remember a police is trained to defend themselves and they will be met with violence if they attack a police”.

The bus driver from Tuesday’s incident, who was reportedly operating in breach of his road license, attacked the policeman who had ordered that his vehicle be towed.

During a tussle, the driver was shot twice and later rushed to hospital.

He remains in stable condition.

According to Cameron, breaches by taxi operators in the area are countless.

“The taxi operators are refusing to use the transportation centre and once they choose to load on the roadway that is a traffic breach. They turn their vehicles anywhere, they disobey the lights and it is just general disorder when the police are not there. They do not cooperate.”

He further said that police personnel who operate in the area are met with hostility.

“There have been several occasions were policemen are confronted by transport operators there. It is a kind of trend where people fight police in Spaldings. It has happened before, the only difference is that this time it was caught on camera”.

We want to hear from you! Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169, email us at editors@gleanerjm.com or onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com.