Attorney Jomo Thomas says the police force in St. Vincent and the Grenadines suffers from a total lack of respect and is widely feared by the public, especially by young men.
This fear is attributed to the “rough house brutal tactics” employed by officers during community engagements in areas like Hall, Glen, and Upstreet.
Thomas on Monday said that the police cannot expect public cooperation or “buy in” when they engage citizens in an aggressive fashion, often resorting to slapping or hitting people with gun butts.
He cited several instances of alleged misconduct, including the case of Sergeant McKenzie, who was promoted to Inspector shortly after being caught on tape assaulting a young man.
Thomas also detailed the case of Okino Fergus, who was improperly shot by Officer Muhammad Lavia despite a court awarding Fergus over $100,000 in damages, Lavia was later praised by the police force and sent to Washington D.C. for FBI training.
More recently, Thomas highlighted a video showing six officers beating a man in handcuffs near the police barracks.
He said that until the police move from a relationship of fear to one of respect and provide genuine witness protection, the “see something, say something” culture will not take root.
