JUSTICES OF PEACE AND SEARCH WARRANTS

CCNTV6

The government has passed an amendment.. which once again gives Justices of the Peace the power to issue search warrants, due to challenges it says that have been raised by the Police Service.   However, there is concern from the Opposition.., which says the powers are sweeping.. while JPs do not have to be highly trained in terms of knowledge of law and other aspects.   Alicia Boucher has more in this report.

Transcript

00:00an amendment to the administration of justice indictable proceedings bill 2025

00:06called a jipper for short was brought before the lower house by attorney general john jeremy

00:12senior counsel the amendment reintroduces power to justices of the peace to issue search warrants

00:18this power was removed from a jipper in 2023 in providing justification for the move jeremy

00:25drew parallel with the present state of emergency saying there has been a drastic reduction in

00:31gang-related murders and other violent crimes the ag states that thousands of exercises and

00:36raids have been conducted and many detention orders executed but the police service has advised that

00:45the limited availability of judicial officers and in particular masters and registrars to issue search

00:54warrants when time-sensitive investigations demand immediate intervention has significantly

01:04hampered policing efforts in some cases under the state of emergency a search warrant isn't needed

01:12for police officers to enter the homes of people jeremy notes that there have been abuses of power

01:19by justices of the peace citing the brian thomas case as an example where a justice of the peace

01:24issued a warrant for his arrest the manner in which it was done was criticized judicially

01:29the ag states that there is an ethical code of conduct that was never enacted and it just it just

01:36asks ordinary persons who are justices of the peace to hold the scales of justice

01:42even between the police officers requesting action and the citizens port of spain south mp and attorney at

01:52law keith scotland says jps have minimal requirements to fulfill when it comes to education and experience

01:59when compared with judicial officers like masters of the court who he indicates must be verse in the law

02:06a letter applying to become a justice of the peace a recent resume two references a copy of national

02:18identification but what is most troubling do you know who they have to apply to which office they have

02:28to apply to to become a justice of the peace you must apply to the office of the honorable attorney general

02:36his concern is that the powers are broad allowing the searching of multiple properties devices vehicles

02:44etc if you sever the inclusion of justices of the peace and if that is severed we support this bill

02:54but minister of legal affairs adam hussein says people who feel they have been treated unfairly can

03:01seek redress through the court system he also states that work has already begun by way of

03:06a committee that is looking at the jp system issues that we have identified for example

03:12the modernizing the appointment process and keeping with leading practices in the commonwealth

03:17the minimum qualifications age requirements and tenure of office the governance review code of ethics and

03:24the establishment of a disciplinary body and those are some of the matters that i my colleague the

03:29minister of justice had raised with me the continuous upskilling of license justices of the peace for

03:35proper administration of justice he says the appointment process for jps is rigorous including

03:41background checks by police hussein indicates that there are about 126 jps in the country as at the

03:48year 2020 and he accuses the pnm administration of not appointing any from 2019 to 2024 as the bill went into

03:57committee stage the opposition's proposed amendment to remove justices of the peace from the legislation was

04:03rejected by the government 27 27 members voted in favor of the bill 12 members voted against and there

04:13were no abstentions bill has been passed 27 12 alicia boucher tv6 news

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