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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