‘Toothless’ PCA wants power

DIRECTOR of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) David West wants more power to let the unit educate the public and politicians.

“In this way, when matters are raised in Parliament, the politicians will know exactly what is happening with the PCA. We want to monitor and audit police investigations. This needs more power, and this is why we have opted to do outreach programmes so we can educate the public and the politicians,” West said.

He was speaking at the East Indian Friendly Society Hall in Gasparillo yesterday.

He told the gathering the PCA had submitted amendments to the law which will go before the Cabinet for approval.

Since November 2014, the PCA received 1,264 police complaints from the public. Out of this, 47 were sent to the DPP and 114 to the Commissioner of Police.

“People say we are toothless. There is no way for us to enforce those complaints. Once these complaints are sent to the commissioner, the authority does not know what happens to them. There is no duty on the police commissioner to inform the PCA of what happens.”

West called on the public to support the PCA in order to make the police service better.