[UPDATED] CoP: Pepper spray saves lives

WOMEN should be allowed to carry pepper spray to ward off rapists or murderers as it has proven to be a useful non-lethal weapon which can save lives, says Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith.

He intends to approach the Attorney General to discuss amending legislation which makes possession of pepper spray illegal, so that it allows the police to regulate the use of pepper spray, as it regulates the use of guns, to prevent it from falling in the hands of criminals.

Speaking at the weekly police media briefing on Tuesday, Griffith said it was through sheer desperation that women who have the “perception that the State cannot protect them” are carrying around pepper spray as a form of defence.

Griffith said if pepper spray can help one person to escape from an attacker, it would be useful. He did not agree that women should arm themselves with Tasers, which are also illegal, since these devices which emit an electric charge, can be fatal if improperly used.

The CoP was addressing the number of incidents of violence against women, the most recent being the abduction, possible rape, and murder of teenager Ashanti Riley a week ago.

On Saturday, the Prime Minister said he did not think pepper spray was useful to combat violence against women, since it can also be used against them. Griffith said he was aware that many women already carry around pepper spray, not because they want to commit a criminal offence, but because they are fearful and need to protect themselves.

GUN IS NOT A ‘MAN THING’

He also encouraged more women to apply for firearm user’s licences, as it was their right to bear arms to protect themselves, their families and their assets. He said under his watch he had authorised over 1,500 licences, but 95 per cent were for men. “A firearm is not a ‘man thing,’” he said.

Griffith also encouraged all citizens to download the police service app, which has a SOS feature which alerts the person’s first point of contact in an emergency and also allows the police to track the phone. “It can be the difference between life and death,” he said.

He acknowledged that women who are victims of crime are sometimes asked inappropriate questions and ridiculed for what they are wearing when they go to a police station to make reports. He suggested people use the online platform to file reports so they go directly to officers who are sensitised and trained to deal with such reports.

He said in TT society, men have lost respect for women who are heckled and face obscene remarks as they walk the streets, sometimes even from officers in uniform.

On the concern raised by the Prime Minister about criminals posing as private-hire (PH) drivers, acting Deputy Commissioner of Police McDonald Jacob said this needs to be worked out with the Ministry of Works and Transport, since in some rural areas, PH taxis are the only mode of transport available and people in these communities usually are aware of the drivers, who sometimes live in the same districts. Jacob agreed with Dr Rowley that it was a “national issue” which needed to be addressed.

WOMANTRA: TIME  FOR TALK OVER

Stephanie Leitch, director of the women’s rights group Womantra, in a response to the PM’s statements, said in an e-mail that the government needs to stop telling women to protect themselves. “Women are already terrified and hyper vigilant and require now, more than ever, a government that clearly and unequivocally acknowledges the murder and disappearances of women and girls as a state of emergency,” she said.

Leitch said pepper spray was by no means “a cure for all the endemic problems we are facing in our country, including poverty, alcoholism, normalised male aggression and lockdown measures, all of which contribute to the incidences of gender-based violence.”

On the PM’s view that criminals would have access to pepper spray too, Leitch said such logic “holds no water, since women are being stabbed and shot at alarming rates by men who have access to lethal weapons.

“We may not always agree on what is the right or most realistic approach to end gender-based violence but we do at least expect a coherent justification based on evidence and a confirmation of community needs.

“Many women have expressed the desire to have pepper spray and other non-lethal weapons at their disposal for their safety and if the State believes that women should be doing more to protect themselves then further solutions should be forthcoming, accompanied by a line item in the national budget. The time for talk is over,” her statement concluded.

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

A can of insecticide can be an effective tool to ward off possible attacks from would-be rapists, according to Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith.

The commissioner is advocating for women and other people to be allowed to use pepper spray as a non-lethal weapon which he said could be the "difference between life and death."

Speaking at the weekly press briefing at Police Administration Building, in Port of Spain, Griffith said it was a fact that pepper spray saves lives, and plans to meet with the Attorney General to discuss the regulation of its use to prevent it from falling into the hands of criminals.

The suggested use of pepper spray as a defence mechanism resurfaced last week after the abduction, possible rape and murder of a San Juan teenager who boarded a PH taxi in her district.

On Saturday, the Prime Minister said he did not think pepper spray could help women in distress, as it could end up being used against them, but noted he would defer to the opinion of security experts.

Griffith said he was qualified to say pepper spray had saved the lives of women from being raped, harmed or killed in the past, as it gave women an opportunity to escape.

He also encouraged more women to apply for licensed firearms, as 95 per cent of applications were from men, and noted it was the right of citizens to bear arms in this country to protect themselves, their families and their assets.