Police must follow up on reports – Miller

Commissioner of Police Keith Miller has described actions by one of his officers as ‘insensitive and irresponsible’, when that officer refused to follow up on what may have been a case of predial larceny.{{more}}

Miller at the time was responding to a statement made by an individual at the Ministry of Agriculture press conference last Thursday February 25, who explained that he had called police when he saw four men and three cattle at about 3:30 a.m. last September.

The individual said that the men were acting suspiciously, so he called a police station and asked them to investigate.

According to the individual, the police officer who answered the telephone pointed out that he was the only officer on duty and he was awaiting the arrival of transportation.

The Commissioner, who appeared displeased by the report said that he is bothered when police officers say to the public that they have no vehicle or manpower to carry out their duties, and that systems are in place for the officers if they are not able to carry out a task.

“We have almost 900 policemen, and we do what is known as teamwork.”

“The person who gets that report, must inform his senior officer and that senior officer will get in touch with his divisional commander, who will put the necessary mechanism in place; be it manpower or vehicles. So right here I want to say from the offset, that that person who received that information and failed to act is very insensitive and irresponsible.”

Miller acknowledged that this was one of the challenges the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force faces, and that it is a work in progress.

He encouraged the public to inform him when incidences like that arise.

“We will do everything possible to ensure that policemen and women get up out of the stations and respond to people’s reports, and as I said before, I will do anything possible when persons are given a responsibility, they respond.

Earlier in the press conference, the Commissioner pledged that the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF), primarily through its rural constables, will do its part to ensure that predial larceny is stamped out.

“I am very happy that the police are key to the re-development, and involved in the way forward in the rebuilding of the agricultural sector.”

The Commissioner indicated that the police are taking steps to create its own database that would make it easier to track down produce and animals to ascertain if the items were stolen when suspected to be stolen.

Newly appointed Minister of Agriculture, Saboto Caesar, warned persons who engage in predial larceny to desist from doing so, and instead find some means of being a part of the agriculture rebuilding process.

“I am sending a very stern warning that I am having, as Minister of Agriculture, a zero tolerance; and I am using common parlance; to ‘thief men.’”

“There are some persons who are planning; how after we have done our hard work and increased our production, how they would be able to cream off some of the profits without being a part of the laborious stages of the enterprise.

“I am encouraging persons both from the standpoint of being a trained lawyer and a prosecutor in this country, persons who have gone down the road of embarking in illicit activities which touch and concern predial larceny. We want you to dispense from those attitudes and lifestyles and to see the best way that you can incorporate yourself to be part of the rebuilding process.”(JJ)