Backing from the Bar

Andrew Pilgrim (FP)

By Tim Slinger | Wed, May 16, 2012 - 12:10 AM

THE BARBADOS BAR ASSOCIATION is throwing its full weight behind a recent call made by attorney at law and political activist David Comissiong for foreign investigators to be brought in to probe all police killings.

President Andrew Pilgrim said yesterday such a move would augur well for transparency and eliminate doubts in relation to the present system “where the accused were investigating themselves”.

Comissiong is the legal representative of the family of Jamar Andre Maynard, who lost his life to a police bullet on the night of April 3. Maynard, 27, of Denton Road, Grazettes, St Michael, was shot in the left arm by one of two police detectives who were on foot patrol in Bridgetown when the incident occurred. Maynard died the next morning.

Three weeks ago, Comissiong wrote Commissioner of Police Darwin Dottin, as well as the Director of Public Prosecutions Charles Leacock, QC, urging the use of overseas investigators as part of a “rigorous and comprehensive” inquiry into Maynard’s death.

Read the full story in today's MIDWEEK NATION.

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Posted by Tony Waterman 1 year ago: Why is David Comissiong, being championed as the one who called for external Investigators, when i made that call long before this particular incident. i made that call when the Guy from St.John was shot Dead in the Fairchild Street Bus Terminal. and the Commish was and probably still is convinced that he has excellent Investigators which i don't deny, but that system lacks Transparency. my call is for a Permanent Caricom Special investigations Unit (SIU) which will handle all Matters relating to shootings by Police Officers (Caribbean) and any deaths wile in Custody, they will also be used to investigate internal Affairs(Bad Cops, Etc) we now have everyone wanting to Fully join C C J, lets take things a step further, and take care of the Policing side of the Law, maybe the Commish can set up a meeting with his Counterparts and pass this by them (This is not something that we should try to maintain in our little Corner) ask our lone Criminologist Miss Yolande Forde i am sure that she would agree that i am on the right track.

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Posted by RICHARD power 1 year ago: I agree wholeheartedly with that assessment if you should back the same opinion for foreign investigators to investigate
all the lawyers in Barbados as well! What do ya think of that
assessment?

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Posted by Tony Webster 1 year ago: Well, well, well!!:The Barbados Bar association also investigates its own members, with members serving on the Disciplinary Committee using a quaint- but "useful" arrangement, where a serving member on that committee , a couple years later, knows full well that at a future time, the roles of accuser and judge, might be reversed - not exactly a mechanism to encourage probity, speedy action, transparency- and justice! So if it please the Court M'lud, we should also import Lawyers , to run the Disciplinary Committee! I rest my case.

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Posted by Pan Wallie 1 year ago: Do we need foreign assistance for all police killings or those that are contentious?

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Posted by shabizz asban 1 year ago: when does a killing become a murder... ?do i hear mr. power & mr. webster agreeing with conditions, are you both saying that it would be ok for the police to investigate themselves as long as the lawyers continue to investigate themselves, if you had a problem with the Disciplinary Committee,why wait till now to raise the issue.?

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Posted by Tony Waterman 1 year ago: @Pam Wallie: i was of the Opinion that Caricom and CSME was about bringing the Countries in the Caribbean Basin together, something that has already eluded us (3 January 1958 to 31 May 1962) so my questionto you is this. Why are we still referring to others in the Caribbean Basin as Foreigners??? the answer to your Question ("Do we need foreign assistance for all police killings or those that are contentious?") YES ALL, that is why i have always proposed a CARICOM (SIU) Special Investigations Unit that would Respond to all Police Shootings and/or Deaths of persons while in Police Custody, they would also investigate Accusations of Police persons who are alleged to be operating outside of their Mandate (Rogue) as far as i can see it this is the only way to solve these contentions Police Matters

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Posted by Pan Wallie 11 months, 4 weeks ago: @ Tony Waterman: That depends on how effective you find CSME/Caricom to be. Every country wants to be boss. Case at point (1) P.M Gonzalves' comments on Redjet. (2) CCJ and the tardiness/ refusal of some countries like Trinidad to join.Yes, a Caribbean independent investigate body would be ideal and even cost effective. Perhaps I shouldn't use the word foreign, but I was referring to intervention from agencies such as Interpol, FBI and Royal Canadian Police. We had a recent case of a mentally disturbed person stoning Police Officers and vehicles. He was shot and killed by Police. To my mind, this was a straightforward enough not to necesssitate the extent and cost of the above mentioned agencies. Hope I explained.