President of the Police Social and Welfare Association Sgt Anand Ramesar says the utterances made by Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams into e-mails allegedly sent by high-ranking members of Government was a disappointment. Ramesar, speaking with the T&T Guardian, said, “The comments of the Commissioner of Police is a disappointment, as it has the potential to reduce the efficacy of an investigation.”
Ramesar said Williams’ comments “also demonstrates a lack of experience when it comes to conducting investigations.” During an interview over the weekend, Williams said the investigation could hit a snag if the people implicated fail to make themselves available for an interview with the police.
Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley read from 31 e-mails in Parliament which implicated Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, Works and Local Government Minister Suruj Rambachan and national security adviser Gary Griffith. An investigation headed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Mervyn Richardson subsequently commenced after Persad-Bissessar and her ministers denied knowledge of the e-mail exchanges.
A vocal Ramesar said the suggestion by Williams that the investigation could collapse “if persons do not co-operate or refuse to be interviewed” was very counter-productive. Ramesar said that potential witnesses and more importantly suspects could really interpret Williams’ statements to mean: “if they are not interviewed, it can be the end of the investigation.”
“Basic police procedure gives a policeman the power to interview anyone while investigating a report. The only occasion where a police officer is required to advise someone that they have the right not to co-operate with the investigators only occurs when that person is deemed a suspect and that’s the role of his attorney,” Ramesar said.
The association president said there were too many examples where reports have been successfully investigated without the assistance of witnesses “through basic police tools such as search warrants and the use of forensic experts.”
Adding it is the view of the association that there was sufficient ability to network a “competent investigation into the matters arising out of the alleged e-mails,” Ramesar said at this point, the service could do without leadership that does not “demonstrate the fortitude and the backbone that is associated with strong, healthy, authoritative and effective policing.”