Griffith asks public: Don’t jump to conclusions

A “full-scale” police investigation has been launched into the deaths of two suspects – Andrew Morris and Joel Balcon – in police custody. Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith made the announcement on Monday through a press release.

Griffith says his track record speaks for itself in that there will be no cover-up.

He noted since he became CoP, in 2018, 96 police officers were charged with various offences including kidnapping, human trafficking, robbery with aggravation and assault, while another 86 were suspended. The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) launched an investigation into the men’s deaths last week.

They were held for questioning over the kidnapping of Andrea Bharatt on January 29. Bharatt, who was a clerk at the Arima Magistrates Court, was reported missing after she got into a fake taxi in Arima and never made it home. She was found dead on February 4 at the Heights of Aripo.

Morris was arrested on January 31 and died on February 1 during emergency treatment at Arima General Hospital. Balcon, who was also arrested, died at the ICU at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope on February 8.

Autopsies conducted on the men revealed they died of blunt force trauma.

While the investigations are ongoing, Griffith cautioned members of the public to be wary of making premature conclusions on social media without knowing what happened.

He said these comments could be damaging and misleading.

Griffith also charged, “It is inappropriate for people to be making accusations and who by their accusations, have already found police officers guilty without getting the facts. These would include the Law Association, an Opposition Senator, and a person who received one per cent of the votes in an area he contested in an election.

He also said, “I have heard comments about a prisoner dying after falling from a chair. At no time did any police officer or myself, say that an individual died because he fell from a chair.

That never took place.”The CoP asked the public not to lose sight of the police efforts to apprehend suspects and charge two people for Bharatt’s murder.

He said, “What we do know as a fact was the excellent work done by the various units of the police in the way they conducted the investigations by finding the four persons responsible for the kidnap and death of Bharatt, and they should be commended.”

Griffith said he was concerned that no one had asked about the well-being of the officers who were injured when they went to arrest the suspects.