Questions on arrest of CoP

THE EDITOR: I want to briefly refer to the burning topic and national debacle relating to the arrest and questioning of Commissioner of Police Erla Harewood-Christopher.

It is no secret that I haven't been a big fan of Harewood-Christopher, but my issue with her is purely that I did not think she was competent or suitable for the job.

Well, that ship has long sailed way into the horizon, but what has happened to her, what she had to undergo, is nothing but a travesty and should be strongly condemned in all quarters.

However, outside of the bureaucratic missteps I want to ask a few questions that I hope the media addresses to the hierarchy of the police, in particular the arresting officers and/or their legal advisers.

1. What offence did Harewood-Christopher commit? Is it giving permission to a civilian to import and own a sniper rifle?

2. What is a sniper rifle, and why is it an offence for a civilian to own and possess one? Is it because it may be considered a prohibited weapon?

3. What is a prohibited weapon according to the Firearms Act? Is there another definition other than a weapon that can discharge more than one projectile when the trigger is depressed or squeezed once?

4. Is a so-called sniper rifle any different to a fullbore rifle which is and has been owned and used by many civilians in TT for many years, or the 303 rifles used and carried by cadets (exempted under the Firearms Act) at Independence Day parades?

If the answers to these questions are what I believe they are, then this fiasco will be the worse blunder in the police's history, and for which Harewood-Christopher and her legal team will enjoy a big fat payday.

CLEMENT MARSHALL

retired police officer