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Cop caught on camera assaulting detainee at Enmore Police Station
Kaieteur News – A police officer was recently caught on camera assaulting a detainee at the Enmore Police Station, located on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).
Kaieteur News had reached out to police for some clarity on the matter.
However, based on a cell phone recorded video of the scene, the cop reportedly lost his cool after the suspect apparently provoked him by attempting to video his face with a cell phone. The cop grabbed the phone and was involved in a brief scuffle with the individual as she retreated.
A screenshot of the cop allegedly assaulting a suspect.
The suspect was even heard accusing the cop of choking a woman during the arrest.
Kaieteur News understands that the cop might have stopped the person’s car for a traffic infraction and was heard instructing the individual, “Walk with yuh licence into the station”.
Although police have been on the receiving end of assaults when making arrests, there are standard operating procedures that govern the Force. Ranks must also show some amount of restraint when dealing with suspects especially if they are not violent towards police officers.
Retired Assistant Commissioner, Paul Slowe had pointed this out in a letter he had written to Kaieteur News in May 2022.
Slowe had written the letter, in relation to fight that had taken place between a traffic cop and a taxi driver.
“It has five levels. Level One is the Complaint Level where no use of force is usually reasonable. Level Two is the Resistive (Passive) Level where the subject does not follow the officer’s commands. Force options here include guiding or directing the suspect through hands – on techniques. Level Three is the Resistive (Active) Level, which occurs when a subject actively resists arrest. Level Three force options include joint manipulation or restraint, leverage techniques, pressure points or even OC (pepper) spray, with a warning given first under proper circumstances”, Slow had written.
Based on the minor altercation that took place recently the video did not depict if the suspect might have assaulted the officer first. A request by this newspaper for clarification on the incident was made to the force’s public relations department but up to press time there was no response.
Based on the evidence seen in the video the suspect followed the cop willingly to the police station and was only videoing the cop while making unfounded allegations of assault.
Moreover, the government had expended millions of taxpayers’ dollars to acquire body cameras for some its ranks in December 2019 so that the police can have some sort of transparency when conducting patrol operations and arrests.
A Kaieteur News article published in December 2019 informed that police officers had already started using body cameras during patrols.
The article with headlined, “Cops begin patrols with body cameras” Quoted the then police Commander of ‘Division Four A’ (Agricola, East Bank Demerara to Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara) Assistant Commissioner, Edgar Thomas as saying “I am not running any covert operation, I want the public to know that we are using cameras…we are not spying, we are using technology as part of our crime-fighting strategy.”
According to Thomas, the use of body cams can not only protect ranks from false allegations, or expose corruption, but “can also ensure that the seniors know what their subordinates are doing on the streets”.
He was at the time unable to say if the use of body cams was introduced to other policing districts but a subsequent police report had detailed that ranks in Region Three were being trained to use to the technology.
Kaieteur News had also received subsequent information that cameras were also acquired by ranks in Division 4 C where the recent alleged assault was caught on camera.
It is unclear if the rank seen in the video was using a body cam at the time.
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