And while that BDF soldier will be facing criminal charges, a police officer is also in hot water after he used excessive force while trying to search an innocent teenager at an airstrip. Yesterday, you heard from 19-year-old Shamar Foster who detained what had happened to him. He added that he believed the officer had been drinking and that he had been targeted for nothing more than "looking suspicious."
Today we asked the Police Minister about yet another textbook case of police brutality - the same kind we've been seeing for decades.
Hon. Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries
"Yes, I saw the video and I must say that I was extremely disappointed to see yet another instance of an officer using profane language of actually hitting the individual. I don't think that anything in that scenario as far as I could see nothing warranted that type of behaviour from the officer. Ever since the issue had happened, the loss of young Laddie Gillett, we've been on a sustained campaign, we had our legal team in the police department go from precinct to precinct to advise our officers of the use of force policy that we have in place. But at the same time, we cannot control every single officer's behaviour, but those that do decide to go a frolic on their own and who do decide to behave in such a manner we cannot in any way countenance
that. We have already gotten statements as I understand at the professional standard branch from the young man and so we will be taking action against that particular officer."
Shamar Foster's attorney Leslie Mendez says, quote, "the incident once again lays bare the chronic deficiencies within the Police Department. Through a dangerously wide interpretation of their power to stop and search, officers misuse this power to operationalize their prejudices and adopt all manner of repressive tactics against ordinary citizens, who simply demand to be treated like actual human beings, deserving of respect, rights and dignity." End quote.
