758 awaiting trial for murder

SOME 758 alleged killers are awaiting trial for murder, acting Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon told the Senate yesterday. Replying to a listed question by Opposition Senator Gerald Ramdeen, Dillon said, “A total of 758 persons have been accused of murder and are currently committed to stand trial at the Assizes.”

The minister replied to two other law-and-order questions posed by Ramdeen, respectively on police suspensions and witness protection.

Dillon said, “The Commissioner of Police has indicated that a total of 277 police officers are currently on suspension.” He said 269 are on suspension for criminal investigations, and eight for departmental/internal disciplinary investigations. Ramdeen, in a supplemental query, said some suspensions have been for as long as 14 years, but Dillon merely replied they are all at differing stages.

Also, Dillon said in a three-year period from September 2015 to September 2018, some 76 people were admitted to the justice protection programme. Ramdeen, in a supplementary question, tried to ask if the number represented a significant drop from past figures, but Senate President Christine Kangaloo disallowed it.

He tried again, asking how the Government plans to make the programme more attractive, but was again blocked by Kangaloo.