Abdulah supports more power for police complaints authority

Citing the recent police killing of Carlton Lane, San Fernando resident, Adele Gilbert, last Thursday, Abdulah described the circumstances surrounding that incident as “very disturbing.” He has called for a swift and thorough investigation should be carried out by the PCA.

“We support the call by the PCA for more power and we are calling on the government to urgently bring to Parliament legislation to amend the PCA Act to ensure that the PCA has the power to engage in investigations to secure a crime scene or scene where someone has been killed by police to ensure evidence is not in any way contaminated by police officers who are investigating other police officers, because that raises doubts in the mind of citizens as to whether justice will happen,” he said.

‘We have to step up our game. We are not aware that the PCA has completed investigations into the many incidents of police officers killing civilians and we call on PCA to give a status report on all these matters and give assurances to national community as to when these investigations will be completed,” Abdulah added. He, however, noted that this was not a “blanket attack” against the Police Service. He also acknowledged that the crime situation was “bad” and that police officers often face difficult and hazardous situations at times.

Addressing a media conference at the party’s St Joseph road, San Fernando headquarters yesterday, Abdulah cited the poverty rate which had experienced a 24.5 percent increase from 2005 to 2014.

“This is a circumstance where between 2004 and 2014, the national budget increased from $29billion in 2004 to $62billion in 2014 so the national budget more than doubled and yet those in poverty also increased,” Abdulah said. “Once the system remains the same we will continue to have more and more people suffering while a few become obscenely wealthy,” he said.

He said the MSJ was also standing in solidarity with Petrotrin workers who had walked off the job last week to highlight security concerns at the company, saying “serious damage” could be done to Petrotrin’s installations.