Fixin’ T&T: Let Police Complaints Authority do probe

Fixin’ T&T director Kirk Waithe says his organisation finds it incomprehensible, unreasonable and farcical that consideration would be given to acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams to have any investigative role in the controversial revival of the Flying Squad. In a release, Waithe said Fixin’ T&T questioned Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s judgment and motive in referring reports on the alleged revival of the Flying Squad to Williams. 

“Commissioner Williams, like Mrs Persad-Bissessar and Mr Jack Warner, is a key member of the National Security Council who has denied any knowledge of the operations of the unit. “As such, it is reasonable to assume that he, along with the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Security may be a subject of the investigation.”

Waithe said his organisation reiterated its position that the Police Complaints Authority was the best suited “independent body” to undertake inquiries and gather evidence in the investigation of this matter. Sections 21 (1) (b) and (e) of the Police Complaints Authority Act state, respectively, that its functions are to:
• Undertake inquiries into, or audits of, any aspect of police activities for the purpose of ascertaining whether there is police corruption or serious police misconduct or circumstances that may be conducive to both
• To gather evidence that may be admissible in the prosecution of a person who is not a police officer for a criminal offence in relation to the Police Service and to furnish that evidence to the Director of Public Prosecutions, or where an authority outside of the State is concerned, the Attorney General

The release added that the Police Service Commission, chaired by Prof Ramesh Deosaran, also has a responsibility to examine the role, if any, of the acting CoP in this matter of urgent national importance.