Journalist feels violated by policeman’s actions

SEARCHLIGHT journalist Lyf Compton says he feels violated, following an incident over the weekend, where a plain-clothes police officer, who failed to identify himself, entered his property with a firearm, with the intention of shooting one of his dogs.

Since then, Compton, a resident of Gibson Corner, has reported the matter to the Police Public Relations Department. Head of that department Hawkins Nanton said that the matter will be investigated.{{more}}

In a post to his Facebook page on Saturday, the experienced journalist stated that technicians from telecommunications company Flow paid a service call to his home on Saturday and accidentally left the gate open.

“They accidentally left a small gate open and my Japanese Akita got out. One of my neighbours came up to my gate while I was putting the dog back in. He had a cutlass and told me that my dog killed six of his puppies.

“I told him seeing that he had approached with a cutlass that I wouldn’t deal with him so I think he should call the police,” Compton wrote.

He said he later found out that his neighbour had five puppies and that four had died.

Compton said about an hour later, while he was dressing and feeding his four-year-old son, he heard someone calling and looked through a window and saw the neighbour with another man standing at his front gate.

“The property is fully fenced. I only knew the neighbour. I told him from through the window that I would be there in a minute because I was doing something. I stopped dealing with my son and came into the front yard at which time I saw a man in a striped shirt and jeans pants at the side of the house moving to the lower part of the property with a firearm cocked and extended in front him.

“I asked who he was because I thought the neighbour had brought one his friends to shoot me. He said he wasn’t a friend but a police officer,” Compton added.

According to Compton, he told the police officer that he cannot enter upon a locked property with a firearm and no crime was committed and asked the officer to leave.

“He told me he had come to shoot my dog and he could come onto any property at any time without a warrant and the only time he needs a warrant is to search. I asked him what was the crime and why he had a gun drawn and he said he came to shoot the dog.

“I ask him for what, but he turned to his colleague and said ‘man leh we walk with the man, he outta place’.”

Compton said after some heated words, the two police officers eventually left, after admitting no crime was committed and that it was in fact a civil matter.

“…At no point anyone showed me an ID, but one of the officers, not the one with the gun, had some sort of card in his hand that looked like an ID.

“They both said that they did nothing wrong by entering the property and left saying they could have shot my dog if they wanted. The dog was in a kennel at the back of the property so it is as if he was making his way to the cage to shoot the dog inside as it had allegedly bit other dogs. Bit other dogs not persons.”

Compton further wrote that the officer also pointed the gun in his direction as two three-month old puppies were behind him and said he would shoot them too.

“This is the height of unprofessionalism and I hope that after the report is officially filed and all investigations have been carried out that some sort of justice could be served in this matter.

“My son usually runs and plays in the yard with the dogs. I mean, suppose he had run into the yard and startled the gunman, anything could have happened, someone could have seriously been hurt in this incident and I’m still trying to figure out what gave him the right to come on to the property without asking permission or without a warrant,” an upset Compton said.

Compton admitted that his dog has in the past, bit other animals, but has never bit a human before.

He also disclosed that in the past he compensated a woman for a sheep.

“All he had to do was come to me without the weapon and we would have settled it. I’m the one that told him to call the police, but I’m sorry I did because of the way the officers acted unprofessionally.

“In the past, neighbours’ animals, goats, cats and dogs have destroyed things on the property. Goats eat our peas and in one instance, a cat belonging to a neighbour destroyed my bird cage and ate my birds.

“A few weeks ago a German Shepherd entered the property and fought with my dog, while one of the owners and his friend looked on. I have no idea how it got in. I never called the police or asked anybody for compensation,” Compton stated. (KW)