Replace police prosecutors

Opposition MP for Princes Town, Subhas Panday, said  Government should replace police officers prosecuting cases in court by civilian lawyers, and thereby free up some 300 to 400 police officers for policing duties.

Speaking in the Budget debate on Tuesday in the House of Representatives, he offered this plan to boost the number of available police officers, in preference to  Government’s proposal to recruit more police and set up a new Special Crime Fighting Unit. This measure, he said, would save the Government having to train 1,000 new police officers as currently being touted. In elaboration he exclaimed: “If you go through the Police Service and see the number of police officers doing work that could be done by civilians!”

Recalling the opposition of the Police Service Welfare Association to the new crime unit, Panday seemed to suggest the unit’s head, Brigadier Peter Joseph, would act as a compliant Commissioner of Police who the Government could use to tackle its opponents. “They are setting up the unit to deal with people who are their oppoents, a Mongoose Gang,” he added in reference to paramilitaries serving the late former prime minister of Grenada, Sir Eric Gairy.

Panday dubbed as a PNM party group the San Fernando Police Homicide Division which had investigated charges of voter-against the UNC. He charged: “Unless there is legislation to protect the constitutional rights of every citizen and to ensure the Government can’t undermine the law, we will not support the (Government’s) legislation.”