THE Ministry of Home Affairs has said it notes, with dismay, the recent unfolding of events with regards to the killing of Police Corporal Romain Cleto.

The Ministry said, in a statement, that it shares the disappointment with the relatives of the deceased on the setback in the matter.
“It is our hope that, with diligence and persistence, the Police will achieve the breakthrough we all anticipate in order that justice may be served,” the statement added.
Meantime, the ministry said it is awaiting a Police report, requested from the Acting Commissioner of Police, detailing the circumstances that prompted the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to withdraw the charges laid against the individuals who were arrested in connection with the crime.
Further, the Ministry has directed the Acting Commissioner to investigate, through the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), the allegations of torture committed on the suspects who were held.

THE FLAWS
The Ministry said it is, particularly, interested in learning about the flaws in the Police investigations, which it will endeavour to address at the policy level.
Cleto was shot and killed while on patrol duty at Avenue of the Republic and Regent Street, near the Plaisance Bus Park just in front of Bank of Baroda, in Georgetown. He and other ranks had approached a motor vehicle they had been trailing through a city street.
As the policemen got close to it, a gunman opened fire on Cleto with what was described as a high-powered weapon, then sped away in the car.
It happened about 18:40 hrs on April 27.
Cleto, 25, a father of one, was fatally wounded while Constable Randy Daly was injured on his left arm and Constable Anil Persaud suffered injury by shattered windscreen glass.
Crime Chief Seelall Persaud reported, after, that the Police recovered two sets of spent shells from the scene, comprising of 7.62 and 9 mm categories numbering more than a handful.
Two men, Shaka Chase and Reagan Anthony Rodrigues, who had been held for the murder, were both released on the DPP’s advice.