THE CANTER SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IMPOUNDED

Jun 18, 2010 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

---

Yesterday, this column examined some of the issues that emerged following the fatal shooting of schoolboy, Kelvin Fraser. We looked at the media coverage of the event and the need for more investigative journalism so that the public are not misled by premises which are subsequently proved to be questionable. We also examined the lack of confidence by the public of police investigations, the subject of which may be members of the force.
The need for more timely inquests was suggested as a means of promoting greater confidence in the law enforcement and justice systems. We concluded by looking at the police response, and argued that the criminal environment often necessitates a response by armed patrols, but that the use of force must always be restrained.
Today other issues that have emerged will be discussed.
1. The impounding of a canter by the police.
A canter was reportedly hired to ferry students from Patentia to Georgetown in order to be part of a protest of the shooting of Kelvin Fraser. The police subsequently arrested the driver of the canter and laid a number of charges against him. And most objectionably, they also impounded his canter, even though he was charged and placed before the Courts. There seems no justifiable reason for this action by the police.
Months ago, the issue of the police detaining public transportation vehicles, particularly minibuses, for extended periods for minor infractions, led to the publication of guidelines which sought to regulate and reduce this practice in so far as minor offences were concerned.
While the offences for which the driver of the canter was charged were by no means minor, there seems to be no justifiable reason for the detention of his vehicle. The driver was already charged and whatever evidential value the vehicle may have served could have been substituted through the taking of photographs. There was therefore absolutely no need for the canter to be detained. That it was detained, denied the owner of a means of earning an income, and encourages the view that it was intended to punish him for having ferried the students to the protest.
Reports in the press have indicated that the Court has since ordered the release of the canter. The police should now use the opportunity to explain the basis on which it detained the vehicle even after the driver was charged.
2. Security at School
There have been reports in the press indicating that security at the school is not ideal. This is a major concern not just for Patentia Secondary, but also for other schools where bullies would usually barge into the compound to consort with female students. An incident of this nature occurred in New Amsterdam and a teacher was threatened by one of the culprits, who was videotaped within the precincts of the school.
This is not just a problem which can be dealt with by the Ministry of Education. These rogues prey on young schoolgirls and cannot be restrained by the average security guard.
The situation requires a holistic response involving the respective communities, parents, teachers, the police and the educational authorities. This practice of grown boys invading schools to molest school girls is a societal problem and a reflection of the decline of moral norms within our society. It requires a national response aimed at ensuring our schools are safe zones.
3. Absence from School
Reports in the media also indicate that the young schoolboy that was shot by the police was not at school on the day in question. It was said, however, that he went to the school to speak to his girlfriend and it was during this visit that he met his death at the hands of a police weapon.
If a student is absent from school, that student should not be seen within the school premises. While this does not excuse anyone from criminal culpability for the death of the schoolboy, it does raise a serious concern about the mechanisms in place to deal with students who do not have a justifiable excuse for being absent from school.
That the now dead youth was brave enough to go into the school even though he had officially absented himself from formal classes suggests that he was not afraid of the possible disciplinary action that such behaviour could have attracted.
This is something that the education authorities need to consider. One suggestion is that parents be required to present excuses for the absence of their children so that the school can be satisfied that there were justifiable grounds for the absence of the students.
None of the issues raised over the past few days is going to bring young Kelvin Fraser back, but they can ensure that an incident of this kind never happens again. Justice is needed for the death of this young man, but the other lessons should not be ignored.

---

---