24453: Durban (Forwarded): Kudos (with thanks) to PNH (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Lance Durban <lpdurban@yahoo.com>

Corbetters...
   The attached "Thank you note" was forwarded to me by a friend
in Haiti who was victim of a scary incident last week.  I
understand that a French translation will be appearing in La
Nouvelliste, but he asked me to send this English version on to
the Corbett group.  The Haitian National Police get their share
of criticism, but in this case there is only a grateful thanks
for a job well done...

Lance Durban




                   Thank you note

Last Thursday, March 3, at 10:00 in the morning I received a
telephone call from the Direction General de la Police Nationale
d’Haiti informing me that they had information that I would be
kidnapped at 2:00 PM that afternoon.  They told me not to worry,
and not to give any indication that I was aware of the threat.
A little later I got a phone call from the Police Judiciare
asking me at what hour I usually leave my office because they
wanted to lay a trap for the kidnappers.  They sent a team of
plain clothes policemen to my neighbourhood and one inspector
who came in to my office.  We planned that I would leave the
office at the normal time and they would follow me and apprehend
the kidnappers when they made their move on me.  Although this
sounded dangerous I felt that I had no choice because since I
was already targetted I was in danger as long as these guys were
not behind bars.  Before putting this plan in action the
inspector went out in the street to see how things looked.  His
team had remarked a suspicious vehicle near the gate to my
factory.  In order to lessen the risk to my life they decided to
investigate this vehicle first.  In it they found 3 men, armed
to the teeth, waiting for me to leave work.  They also captured
two look-outs who were on foot.

I am extremely grateful to the Police National d’Haiti and to
the Police Judiciare in particular.  Their operation was
executed with perfect professionalism.  They were very concerned
for my own safety throughout the operation.  I hear many
criticisms of the PNH in the press so I wanted to be sure that
the public heard of this success.  This incident is concrete
proof that there are many men and women, within the PNH, who are
sincerely working to improve our security.

Tom Adamson