WITH the aim of strengthening the investigative capacity of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), that body, through the Ministry of Home Affairs, will have its own team of investigators by early January.
This is according to PCA Chairman, retired Justice Cecil Kennard who during a telephone interview yesterday was responding to a question about strengthening the ability of the body to conduct its own investigations.
“Police Complaints Authority does not have its own team of investigators so far, so all investigations would have to be done by OPR [Office of Professional Responsibility],” Justice Kennard said.
The PCA was set up out of the Police Complaints Authority Act 1998.
INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED
“The Minister of Home Affairs is setting up an investigative team for the Police Complaints Authority. We have interviewed several persons and those recommendations were forwarded to the Minister for his consideration.” Interviews, according to the PCA Chairman, were conducted in October of this year.
In a December 2013 letter to the Kaieteur News, Justice Kennard sought to outline clearly the functions of his office. In the letter, he explained that after a complaint has been received by the PCA, it is forwarded to the Commissioner of Police for an investigation to be carried out.
A report is subsequently compiled with relevant statements that are to be forwarded to the PCA to consider whether or not the rank, against whom the complaint was made, should face disciplinary charge.
“If it is so decided, then the matter is sent back to the Commissioner of Police for a disciplinary hearing. If the rank is found to have been at fault, the matter is referred back to the Police Complaints Authority for a recommendation as to the appropriate penalty to be imposed.”
At the time of his letter, the Chairman bemoaned that the Authority did not have its own team of investigators. His letter read: “Therefore each complaint has to be forwarded to the Commissioner of Police for an investigation and report, which often takes some time.”
Justice Kennard was confident that by early next year the investigative team will be assigned and functional. “Hopefully those important matters will be dealt with by OPR, but the run-of-the-mill cases will be investigated by those attached to the Police Complaints Authority.”
