Ticker Testing
A protocol is needed
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- Details
- Parent Category: Jan 2012
- Category: Week end Jan 7th, 2012
- Published on Monday, 09 January 2012 07:56
- Hits: 1497
EDITORIAL
THE NEW TODAY would like to voice full support for the suggestion put forward by local attorney-at-law, Anselm Clouden for the establishment of a protocol to guide police officers in their deportment when persons are taken into their custody.
It is our firm view that such a protocol, if put in place and adhered to strictly by police officers, will not see a re-occurrence of the very unfortunate incident which took place on Boxing Day at the St. David’s police station when an accused man, Oscar Bartholomew who was taken into custody died hours later at the hospital in questionable circumstances.
The post-mortem conducted by two pathologists more or less concluded the same thing – the man suffered from multiple wounds to the head. It is doubtful whether Mr. Bartholomew would have inflicted such life-threatening wounds onto himself while in their care.
This incident has left a bad taste in the mouths of many Grenadians especially the people of St. David’s. It is our since hope that the situation is not allowed to get out of hand and escalate to the point where some persons might want to take the law into their own hands if they feel that justice is not being allowed to flow in the case.
In historical context, St. David’s has been at the centre of many important struggles and uprisings in Grenada. The Eric Gairy rise to power and the birth of the New Jewel Movement (NJM) and the Lord Brownlow affair should remind us as to the resolve of the people of that parish to take things into their own hands and to chart their own destiny.
The protocol that was advanced by Mr. Clouden should become part of the training manual of the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) and fully inculcated into the minds and hearts of new recruits.
In addition, the protocols should be posted in a prominent place in each and every police station around the island so that both police officers and civilians can easily access it.
Too many times, people complain of visiting our police stations and encountering officers who lack decorum in dealing with them and seem to forget that the motto of RGPF is to protect and serve.
This protocol is not something that should cost the State any significant amount of money to put together. As a matter of fact, it might help the State pay out little or no monies in the long run in compensation to persons inclined to bring civil lawsuits against Police Officers on allegations of brutality while in custody.
Over the years, several defense lawyers have called press conferences to highlight alleged police brutality of their clients and to actually name the officers who might have perpetrated these acts.
The protocol being talked about should not be seen as giving a licence to criminal elements in the society to continue to engage in their illegal activities with greater immunity.
THE NEW TODAY will not oppose the use of appropriate action by the police against law-breakers in an attempt to help them solve crimes and to keep the peace and security of the State. The law clearly provides the use of appropriate force by the police in specific circumstances but not excessive force that will result in the death of anyone.
There are some persons who would seek to take advantage of the protocol in order to break the law out of the belief that the police cannot touch them and if they refuse to talk and co-operate that their crimes will go unsolved. That is so far from the truth since the police have many other means at their disposal to help in their crime fighting activities.
The police officers must understand that they have a responsibility to use their brains in helping to solve crimes and do not resort to the beating of accused persons as the first, second and third step in forcing them to confess to crimes.
RGPF has produced many brilliant Criminal Investigators over the years who engaged in what is termed old fashion police work and techniques in solving crimes and did not engage in the use of brutal force and torture to apprehend suspects.
The modern day police officers have been giving the impression that they can be classified as “don’t care” and see the job more or less as a place to get a dollar to help make two ends meet at the end of the month.
Policing should be seen as a career like nursing, where in the old days it was treated more or less like a calling.
THE NEW TODAY would like to remind the Commissioner of Police, Willan Thompson that he has a responsibility in the circumstances to send certain clear signals to the population that under his watch the police force will not be engaged in acts like what happened at the St. David’s Police Station.
The police should be told in no uncertain manner that if they take the law into their own hands and commit acts of brutality that they would be left on their own and that State resources would not be made available to them in the circumstances. No protection should be given to rogue cops, leave them on their own at their own peril.
It was rather unfortunate that while the police were investigating the matter that the Commissioner unwisely choose to make a pronouncement to the effect that Bartholomew had broken the law by assaulting a police officer. That did not give the police any right to engage in acts like what might have happened at the station involving the accused man.
Mr. Thompson should have left that determination to be made by a sitting Magistrate or Judge at the high court level and not by the police force.
As a matter of fact, the Commissioner would have done a far better job if he had limited himself to the issuing of a carefully prepared and drafted press statement rather than expose himself at a press conference where he would have been inclined to make some rather unfortunate statements in the heat of questions from a probing press.
The message which still needs to be coming out to the public from RGPF in order to assure the population is that the Police Force will always be seen as public-friendly and that under Mr. Thompson’s watch the people of Grenada can be assured that he would not tolerate any illegal acts by his officers.
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