[UPDATED] CoP: Twitter sex assault claims opened a 'Pandora's Box'

COMMISSIONER of Police Gary Griffith has described recent sexual assault claims on Twitter as "very unfortunate" and irresponsible.

"This has opened a Pandora's Box because several of those persons whose names have been there have stated that they did not do it. And people can 'play' police. And (when) you are playing a police officer (and) someone doesn't like an individual and they pass the name on, and you have this put on social media. And this obviously can embarrass individuals."

He was speaking Thursday at the weekly police media briefing at the Police Administration building. His comment was in response to recent anonymous Twitter accounts that have been sharing information about sexual assaults and in some cases naming alleged perpetrators.

At the media conference, the new Sexual Offences Unit was announced. Griffith said that if people have enough information on an incident they should not blast it on social media but with the formation of the new unit citizens can bring the information to the police to launch an investigation.

"And we will verify whether it is rum shop talk or whether it is enough that (we can) conduct an investigation to target such a perpetrator and bring him to justice. But you can't have anybody just making an accusation and you on social media can just plaster the person's names. That is totally irresponsible. It serves no purpose. It does not help. And all that will do now, is cause a whole set of civil cases that I have no intention to get involved in."

Griffith pointed out that three in five women are victims of a sex crime in their life but TT data only has 800 reports per annum. He said with the unit women will be confident they can report incidents and it will be confidential.

He also noted crimes were being perpetrated against the LGBTQI community and there were also incidents of cruelty to animals, foreigners put in sex slavery, young girls put into child pornography and child prostitution, and young men being influenced to join gangs and then being killed.

"So the importance of these units is very critical. We must have elite units that have highly trained persons who understand the sensitivity, the confidentiality and how to treat with the victims and how to go after the perpetrator."

He also said that reports must also come from private medical institutions even if the victim does not want to make a report.

ACP Criminal Division Odette Lewis in her presentation said a comparison of data of reports of rape for the period January 1-May 31 2019 and the same period for 2020 showed 57 reports compared to 28 reports.

"This decrease may have been as a result of under-reporting of sexual offences. With the introduction of the new Sexual Offences Unit, we can expect an increase in reported cases and we welcome the opportunity to assist and bring justice to these victims who have stayed silent for long, but now have a dedicated avenue for voicing their experiences."

She explained the unit will fall under a "one stop shop" for all victims of all forms of violence called the Special Victims Department. The Department will comprise three sections: the Child Protection Unit, the Gender Based Violence Unit and now the new Sexual Offences Unit.

The new Sexual Offences Unit will investigate reports of sexual assaults against adult victims, both male and female, where the assault is non-intimate and targeted, for example, date rape, as well as random acts of violence committed during the commission of another serious crime for example kidnappings and burglaries.

"The sensitivity of these investigations gives rise to the need for continued training for officers of this unit. Officers will be trained in taking reports with a view to eliciting specific information which can identify leads and potential suspects, collecting and packaging evidence for submission for analysis."

Lewis explained that the unit will be decentralised and officers will be assigned to each of the nine policing divisions. Victims of sexual offences were encouraged to make reports via the multiple available channels; by calling 999, via the TTPS App, or via the soon to be launched Report Crimes Online platform on the TTPS Website.

"Officers of the Sexual Offences Unit will then be assigned to each case and will go to victims, if the victims do not desire or cannot visit a police station to give a statement about their ordeal. "

She reported the unit will network widely with several internal and external partners to provide social support functions for victims including the Health Ministry, the Victim and Witness Support Unit, the Counter Trafficking Unit, the Rape Crisis Centre, and the Judiciary with a view of setting up a special court to deal with sexual matters in camera, and the Justice Protection Unit, to provide safety for victims and witnesses during the investigative and judicial processes.

Ag Supt Claire Guy-Alleyne, head of the Gender-Based Violence Unit, will temporarily head the new unit. She reported since the unit was launched in January 2020 there have been 106 arrests and she promised to continue to work on behalf of survivors regardless of gender or nationality.

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

COMMISSIONER of Police Gary Griffith has described recent sexual assault claims on Twitter as "very unfortunate" and irresponsible.

"This has opened a Pandora's Box because several of those persons whose names have been there have stated that they did not do it. And people can 'play' police. And (when) you are playing a police officer (and) someone doesn't like an individual and they pass the name on, and you have this put on social media. And this obviously can embarrass individuals."

He was speaking Thursday at the weekly police media briefing at the Police Administration building. His comment was in response to recent anonymous Twitter accounts which have been sharing information about sexual assaults and in some cases naming alleged perpetrators.

At the media conference the new Sexual Offences Unit was announced and it will address all non-intimate sexual violence/assaults that are not considered gender-based violence or perpetrated against children. Griffith said that if people have enough information on an incident they should not blast it on social media but with the formation of the new unit citizens can bring the information to the police to launch an investigation.

"And we will verify whether it is rum shop talk or whether it is enough that (we can) conduct an investigation to target such a perpetrator and bring him to justice. But you can't have anybody just making an accusation and you on social media can just plaster the person's names. That is totally irresponsible. It serves no purpose. It does not help. And all that will do now, is cause a whole set of civil cases that I have no intention to get involved in."

Griffith said if people feel individuals have been involved in any type of sex crime the new unit will ensure that police can "push the envelope" to ensure that it is put to an end.