President of the Guyana Press Association, Julia Johnson said, "The arrest of two reporters in the execution of their duty is unacceptable and cannot be condoned."

News Today reporter, Kevin Sunich, and Stabroek News reporter, Christopher Yaw, were briefly detained at the Albertown Police station when asked to produce identification, Commandant 'A" Division, Paul Slowe, said.

But the two men reported that the police were angered after they started filming an operation where police had given chase to a suspect and had fired shots.

Sunich said when he arrived on the scene about 15:00 hrs he saw the police man-handling Yaw. He added that he attempted to film the incident but his camera was quickly snatched by a police officer.

"The officer took me to the police van and told his colleagues, 'look another reporter deh shooting we.'" Sunich recalled. He told Caribbean Net News that he was asked to sit on a suspect the police had detained, which he refused.

He furthur stated that if the police needed to identify them as reporters, by the arresting officer's statement they should have been released on spot, instead they were humiliatingly driven away to a nearby police station. Yaw reportedly said he was wearing his press pass at the time of the incident.

"Media workers must be able to perform their duties without hindrance from the public and more so law enforcement ranks. Each has his duty," a release from the GPA noted.

Police maintained that while none of the reporters had any form of identification, it is the good relationship between the Guyana Press Association and the police that brought about their release without any conflict.

The GPA has since urged police ranks to be aware of the role of the media, since too often law enforcement ranks seek to physically and otherwise restrain media workers in the execution of their duties.