Last week, an armed policing group from Enmore was confronted by an army patrol during the night. The civilians were forced to lie flat on the ground while the army confirmed that they were indeed as they claimed. All of this seemed normal. What was not normal was the claim by the Enmore folks that the soldiers cursed them with racial slurs. The army denied the claims. Who are we to believe? What would the soldiers gain from speaking racial slurs? What would the village locals gain from making this claim?

The role of the army in crime fighting has always been in questioned since it came into being this year. While the PNC continues to demand their removal, many Indians still do not trust the army. It is a fact that criminals have committed numerous crimes and headed into Buxton while the army kept patrol just miles away, if not closer. In a nutshell, the army has not been deterrence to criminal activities. People have reported seeing soldiers chatting with some of the troublemakers in Buxton.

Now, there is an angered feeling among soldiers for local villagers (Indians).

This is after the Good Hope arms cache found on December 4, 2002. With many suggesting that the confiscated bullet proof vehicle, guns, high tech computer, and Indians arrested at Good Hope by an army patrol, is the mysterious "phantom" group allegedly responsible for stalking out criminals, the view among soldiers is that this group probably is responsible for the shooting of soldier Ryan Thompson, who was caught in a gunfire crossfire-and is now in a Brazilian hospital recuperating.

This is one of the alleged reasons for an army patrol going all the way to Good Hope on the East Coast, which is way out of the Buxton/trouble zone, to make this arrest. The soldiers were angry that one of theirs was injured. Indians have complained that they find it strange that the army can find Indians who are fighting the criminals all the way up at Good Hope, but cannot seem to find and arrest criminals in Buxton.

There is a concern among soldiers, most of who are Blacks, that Indians are taking matters in their own hands-acting as mercenaries or vigilante groups. The fact that a computer was found which could intercept and locate telephone calls means that even army communication was threatened. Then there is the race factor-Indian vigilante groups going after gangs and criminals that are primarily Blacks does not speak well for Black soldiers-some of whom, who knows, just may have cousins, friends, or acquaintances in these criminal gangs

Meanwhile, the army patrols continue-almost with no serious effects. So far, the army only attempted one cordon-and-search operation, which resulted in no criminal apprehended or weapons found in the houses searched in Buxton. The President, apparently, is hesitant to order more searches-especially random ones. It is unclear whether the President has given orders, and if they have been refused by the army top brass. If this happened, the PPP cannot make this public because it puts them in a position of weakness-which will send a dangerous message to the militants and the PNC.

As we head into 2003, and large-scale destabilization continues, we will see how effective will the army be. We will also see what is the relationship between the army and the Indian population on the East Coast, and how the government will react to this. For now, let us keep an eye on the army.