Commissioner Thompson denies police brutality

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Parent Category: Jan 2012

Category: Week end Jan 14th, 2012

Published on Sunday, 22 January 2012 15:37

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Commissioner of Police, Willan Thompson has sought to justify the use of the Rapid Response Unit (RRU) of the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) in removing Brewery workers who were engaged in blocking the entrance of the Grenada Breweries Limited (GBL) on the Maurice Bishop Highway two weeks ago.

The workers who are being represented by the militant and powerful Grenada Technical and Allied Workers Union (TAWU) had resorted to blocking the main entrance to prevent anything from entering or leaving the compound as part of their industrial protest that began in the middle of December.

Their actions prevented a number of delivery trucks from leaving the compound with brewery products. As a result, the RRU with their riot gear swooped down on the workers and forcefully removed them from blocking the GBL entrance after the second day of their action.

That sparked outrage by the Grenada Trades Union Council and members of the wider community who felt it was a form of police brutality. However, at a news conference that was held at Police Headquarters on Fort George last week, Commissioner Thompson said that as far as he is aware, police brutality is not an issue in the country at the moment.

“In any institution like the RGPF, you would have incidents, but I do not know that police brutality is something that runs throughout the RGPF,” he told reporters. Commissioner Thompson stressed that there must be law and order in the society and he knows of no incident in the breweries case where any individual could say that he was beaten by the police.

“I am still waiting for the news media to show me, I have been looking at the TV ever since to see who was coming forward to say they have been beaten by the police...”, he said. “... If your house is barricaded, would you not call the police and ask the police to remove those that are barricading your house? Would you want to be held hostage in your own house?” he asked.

On the first day of the workers’ action to block the GBL entrance, two junior policemen tried to remove the workers in order to allow the trucks to leave the compound. However, the workers resisted the efforts of the police officers claiming that they came out to work, but the trucks were instead blocking them from entering the compound.

TAWU’s President-General, Senator Chester Humphrey who had parked his vehicle at the GBL’s entrance was arrested and charged by the police with obstruction and refusing to comply with a lawful order. Sen. Humphrey is currently on bail in the sum of $3,000.00 and is due to appear in court on January 26.

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