SKNLP Senator Nigel Carty speaking on the popular talk show ISSUES on Wednesday, said that the police have a critically important role to play in protecting the community they serve. Carty said the community must have a level of confidence in the police, but when there is deception and political manipulation, then corruption would be the end result.
Referring to the Mc Knight shooting incident, Carty said the lives of innocent citizens cannot be compromised just to pursue a criminal. “In recent times, the police have been in the mix of the criminal activities,” observed Senator Carty.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris speaking at his monthly press conference on Tuesday responded to claims made by residents of McKnight about police opening fire in a public area. Dr Harris said that while he understood the concerns, police must be given the benefit of the doubt that they know how to do their jobs.
Harris said he wanted the public to keep an open mind, especially in these peculiar circumstances where we do not know the whole story. Two men – including a 17 year old – sustained gunshot injuries to their ankles when police opened fire during the arrest of a third man, Craig “Jumbies” Halliday on Sunday night.
At Tuesday’s press conference, the Prime Minister said police must be allowed to do their jobs.
“Police will always get the fullest support of the government in pursuing law and order, and to acknowledge even with the best of intentions and policies there are times in pursing law and order certain inconveniences would arise, but I’m hoping that people would look at the broader national good: national safety. In the incident to which you make reference for example…it wasn’t that police just went without any sense of intelligence or otherwise and went on a mad spree.”
“We are crying out for the need for the police to get tough in the fight on crime, and all of us therefore are going to suffer some inconveniences as they do that…their judgment [is] going to have to be respected in relation to operational matters, with the confidence that ever they were found to be at fault, the appropriate mechanism for discipline and criminal action would be available to every citizen.”
In related news,Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Arudranauth Gossai has confirmed to The Observer that he has received and is reviewing files for the two recent officer-involved shootings in Nevis.One officer has already been investigated internally and received disciplinary charges resulting in his suspension with half pay. The officer was off duty when he allegedly shot 55-year-old Steadroy “Seamoss” Sutton, a security guard at a restaurant at Pinneys Beach on Sept 19. He reportedly shot the man twice after the guard confronted him about urinating on the premises. The guard survived, despite being shot in the back and groin.The second shooting incident resulted in the death of 17-year-old Philo Wallace on October 17. The teen and officer were at Enrique’ bar when they, along with another individual, reportedly got into an altercation which led to the officer shooting the young man in the chest. The officer sustained a head injury, although Police High Command could not say if the officer had been struck by Wallace or the other person.