Opposition on firearms dealer ruling: Police pursued wrong targets

THE Opposition said the police had not been pursuing the right targets, in response to a judge chiding officers for aggressively pursuing an established legitimate dealer in firearms. High Court judge Justice Devindra Rampersad questioned the search warrants used by the police and their extraction of dealer Brent Thomas from Barbados, alleging "oppressive harassment." He said officers seemed "determined to find something", soon after the Stanley John report into the grant of firearm licences under former commissioner of police (CoP) Gary Griffith.

Barataria/San Juan MP Saddam Hosein told Newsday, "What this judgement should signal is that instead of pursuing persons in possession of legal firearms, the same aggression should be used by the police service (TTPS) and the Minister of National Security against those who have illegal firearms.

"We've seen a scourge of crime taking place and a major cause of it is because the criminals have in their possession illegal firearms.

"We have not seen an aggressive move, step or policy taken by this Government to really address this issue of the proliferation of illegal firearms in our country, both from border control and /or law enforcement within our borders."

Naparima MP Rodney Charles said, "What has unfolded in the court judgement is senior TTPS and defence force personnel were involved in hounding down a citizen. "How did a defence force aircraft be involved in an exercise in a foreign jurisdiction?"

He said while anyone breaking the law must face the full brunt of the judicial process as the chips fall where they may, the TTPS must never appear to be one sided and politically compromised.

"Why is it that the TTPS has never alerted us on any investigations into the source of funding for an alleged $143,000 which a senior PNM Cabinet minister allegedly sought to deposit in a local bank? How is it that the TTPS appears to be dragging its feet on allegations regarding land acquisition by a senior Cabinet minister?"

"I am not an attorney neither am I familiar with the intricacies of the judgement but on the surface it appears to confirm an increasing disconcerting view that the TTPS is hell bent on carrying out the agenda of the PNM."

He said it was pellucidly clear the ruling party's perceived opponents were subject to exceedingly more scrutiny than its supporters.

"The TTPS must always consciously and otherwise appear to be apolitical, absolutely impartial, and scrupulously objective in the exercise of its prosecutorial functions. Otherwise it stands the risk of being perceived as just another arm of the PNM executive's overreach.

"If what I understand the court is saying in this matter, I am gravely concerned for our democracy."