Griffith hits ‘bush lawyers’, ‘armchair security experts’

It must be noted that this is in similar vein to the many army caravans held throughout the country whereby citizens are allowed to hold a weapon, under supervision, with that weapon having no rounds in the chamber or magazines loaded, Griffith said.

On Moonilal’s take that the Defence Force has no powers and threat assessment are done by the Police, Griffith said the MP failed to understand that the role and function of the Defence Force is also as an aide to civil power and support of the TTPS in the performance of their duties. “So they do indeed have immense powers,” Griffith said. He then slammed as “totally inaccurate” Moonilal’s comment that the Defence Force can only provide security detail to support the Police and cannot train anyone who may have received a death threat.

“I would then challenge him to show where is it stated in the Defence Act or any Law that states that the Defence Force cannot be involved in an operation, patrol or VIP security without the direct involvement of the TT Police Service and likewise, that they are not allowed to train anyone in preventing them from being killed.” He then rubbished Moonilal’s statement over a lack of protective eye gear for the AG’s children during the military exercise, saying Moonilal obviously does not know about ‘dry firing’ where an empty weapon is used as part of familiarising the person with how the weapon feels and how to operate it safely.

“Finally, to those who are questioning the rationale of the type of weapon seen in the photograph, it may be because this is the weapon that is secured in the vehicle that they (the AG’s children) are escorted in and if God forbid, the two security officers are hit, it may be appropriate for the young adult to operate in a manner that could even require him/her to make use of the one piece of equipment that can save his/her life and it would not happen if he throws it at the assassins,” Griffith said.