Police lockups are worse than dungeons

Sep 30, 2021 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

Kaieteur News – People are taking the law into their own hands. This is one practice which the authorities have to snuff out because it has dangerous consequences.
Over the past few days there were at least two disturbing reports appearing in the media. Both involved persons being beaten by persons who are taking the law into their own hands.
In the first instance it was reported that a pedestrian was struck down. The victim was rushed to the hospital. But the person who was driving the car did not expect that he too would have ended up in the hospital. He did, compliments of a sound beating he received allegedly by persons connected to the victim.
On the Essequibo Coast, a driver was reportedly kidnapped by certain individuals who are claiming that he had a relationship with one of their relatives. The driver was badly beaten. Images of his injuries were shown in public.
The police force has to be wary of these incidents of persons taking the law into their own hands. If this trend continues the strong is going to take advantage of the weak. Those who are unable to defend themselves are going to suffer.
Whatever wrong a person does, the matter should be reported to the police to take action. No one should seek to be judge, jury and executioner in any matter.
The purpose of the authorities is to arrest those who commit wrongs. Their job cannot and should not be done on their behalf by others. Otherwise, there will be serious problems.
So, if you have problems with someone, go and make a report to the police. The wrongdoer is likely to be arrested and would have to spend time in a police lockup which amounts to inhumane treatment.
A judge recently ruled that a Jamaican woman was detained in inhuman conditions at a police station. This is not hard to imagine. Anyone who has ever been inside a police lockup will know the sort of conditions which exists there.
The state of police lockups is sickening. It is hard to understand just why most of these lockups are dungeons. They are worse than the prison cells in which convicted prisoners have to serve their sentence.
The police are only required to hold someone until they can properly investigate a matter or until they can escort the person to jail. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations (OHCHR) says that pre-trial detentions shall be the exception rather than the rule. So why are persons detained in certain cases when they can be placed on station or self-bail?
Last year a family won a G$10.5 M judgment for unlawful detention by the police. No one has said what is likely to happen to those who made the arrest and detention of the family members. Are they going to be surcharged for this judgment?
The OHCHR also urges that detainees be kept in humane facilities, designed to preserve their health, and be provided with adequate food, water, shelter, clothing, medical services, exercise and items of personal hygiene.
So why are the police lockups the way they are? They are heavily grilled, have poor ventilation and can hardly hold more than four persons comfortably. Why is this necessary?
As for the toilet and bathrooms, those are living hell. One wonders whether some of those policemen and policewomen would use some of those facilities.
Five years ago, Jamaica faced similar concerns about its pre-trial detention facilities. A group made a number of recommendations. Among the things they requested was a review of detention policies and practices, ensuring that police lockups confirm to international standards and to pass laws to regulate arrest and detention by the police.
The Minister of Home Affairs should commission an investigation into the state of police lockups. He should invite the human rights organisations to undertake that investigation and to ensure that the conditions of these lockups and the access to sanitary facilities and meals during lockups are improved.
Otherwise, the State is going to be saddled with many more multi-million-dollar judgments. But worse, those who commit wrongs will walk free because they will challenge their detention as constituting inhuman treatment.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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