WHO IS LEADING TTPS ASKS UNC

CCNTV6

The Opposition says this country is facing a crisis due to the arrest of the Police Commissioner and is calling on the Police Service Commission to take action, even as the Opposition is acknowledging the top cop has the presumption of innocence.  Juhel Browne reports.

Transcript

00:00Today we have the scenario of the first sitting commissioner of police I believe

00:05in almost 50 years to be under arrest. This is a tragedy, it is disturbing, but

00:15as Mrs. Possad-Bissessa rightly pointed out yesterday, it is not surprising.

00:20Oropuch East MP Dr. Rudal Munilal speaking during the opposition's media

00:24conference on Friday as he referred to comments made by opposition leader

00:28Kamala Possad-Bissessa on Thursday about the then-detention of police

00:31commissioner Lula Hewitt-Christopher by law enforcement. The opposition held

00:35their media conference a few hours after senior police officers sought to assure

00:39the public that the police service remains strong after they confirmed the

00:43arrest of the police commissioner with regard to what the TTPS said was a probe

00:47into the illegal importation of firearms. It is unusual, these circumstances,

00:52terribly unusual, and having deputy commissioners of police assume what they

01:01did this morning as leadership of the TTPS while there's a sitting

01:04commissioner of police is highly unusual. What is even more extraordinary, it is

01:11taking place in a state of emergency where the regulations provide for the

01:15role, the function, and the authority of a substantive commissioner of police and

01:21that is the crisis that the country faces now. UNC candidate for Potokosan

01:26Grandi, attorney at law Wayne Sturge noted at the time of the media

01:30conference there had been no comment from certain state authorities. It is

01:35untenable, although there's a presumption of innocence, for the

01:40commissioner of police to continue. Let us assume she is not charged with any

01:46offense. How do we justify her continuance having regard to the nature

01:53of the allegations? The opposition focused on the role of the Police

01:57Service Commission. And to add to what Dr. Mumilal has said, it is my view that the

02:05Police Service Commission at this point is empowered to suspend her. They

02:14are empowered to suspend her and it is necessary in my view to return to the

02:21Parliament to trigger the processes to have someone appointed. An appropriate

02:27reference to the process by which the police commissioner or deputy

02:31commissioners of police cannot be appointed substantively or via acting

02:35appointments unless the Police Service Commission presents its choice to the

02:40president who then refers same to the House of Representatives for its

02:44approval. Dr. Mumilal then referred to the lyrics of a well-known calypso.

02:48Decades ago I think it was David Rudder who exclaimed this is not a fete in here,

02:53this is madness and we have arrived at that point. A deputy police commissioner

02:58sought to assure the public on Friday that the arrest of the top cop does not

03:03affect the day-to-day operations of the police service.

03:06Jules Brown, TV6 News.

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