Calls for the establishment of an Independent Police Complaints Authority is something that Police Commissioner Severin Moncherry says he would welcome.
However, the top cop said he has every confidence in police officers being able to to investigate other police officers, explaining that there are many cases where many of them have been convicted and sent to prison.
“However, I support fully having independent investigators. It is not something I am opposed to and I would welcome it but that is not to say I do not have every confidence police officers investigating other police officers,” he remarked.
Moncherry explained that the Police Complaints Unit does not operate on its own, as it is being overseen by the Police Complaints Commission and the commission reviews the work of that unit.
“So at the end of the day even, when a police officer has completed his investigation and it has gone to the Police Complaints Commission, they can ask for further information, they can overrule a decision by the police investigator,” the police chief noted.
Moncherry said the Force receives information from the Police Complaints Commission as to the number of police officers investigated and convicted, in its quarterly police report.
According to him, based on some of these reports, in some cases where the unit is criticized, sometimes it is the fault of the complainant because police sometimes have problem reaching them.
“I am not saying this to say that there are not areas that we need to improve and tighten things, but I have every confidence in the unit and I think what we can do to strengthen that is to have independent investigators.”
Saint Lucians have been calling for a independent authority to be established instead, because they believe many times law enforcement officials get off scotch free on a number of serious violations and abuse cases.
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