Police Force gets ‘Points to Prove’ from DPP

A booklet geared towards assisting police officers with various aspects of their duties and the law was launched here on Wednesday by the St Vincent and the Grenadines National Prosecution Service.{{more}}

The 70-page booklet entitled: “Points to Prove” was done as part of the partnership of investigators and prosecutors in order to enhance the criminal justice system.

The publication provides guidance and references to core principles, covering issues such as police powers of arrest and detention and the judges’ rules.

Addressing reporters at the Central Police Station’s conference room, Director of Public Prosecutions Colin Williams said the initial intention was to have the booklet as part of the launch of the National Prosecution Service, which is yet to come on stream.

Stating that input of the booklet came from various members of staff and other attorneys, the DPP said the booklet deals with a number of matters on how to deal with offences such as property, sexual offences, money laundering and human trafficking, among others.

“It is in terms of building that continued collaboration, that is why we are here today,” the DPP said.

Crown Counsel in the office of the DPP Tammika Da Silva-McKenzie, who tended and nurtured the project, stated that early in her stint at the DPP’s office, she was oftentimes attached to the Serious Offences, Family and Magistrate’s Courts and realised that certain aspects of charges coming before the court were not laid out correctly.

“The idea is for each officer to have one of these as a reference point… This is intended to point out to the officers, which might be the best charge before it is tendered to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions,” Da Silva-McKenzie said.

Commissioner of Police Michael Charles thanked the DPP and his team for taking the local constabulary into consideration and noted that the booklet will assist them in helping to solve crime in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Special thanks were also given to Dan Suter, Criminal Justice advisor to the Eastern Caribbean Project, funded by the Embassy of the United States of America to the Eastern Caribbean and the United Kingdom, who was helpful in making the book a reality.