This morning, a video started circulating online of a child being grabbed by a caretaker at the Russell Chiste Auditorium.
What triggered it? According to reports, the girls' volleyball team for "supernationals" was training when some male students came onto the court. Protocol is that there can only be one sport on the court at a time but the young boy didn't observe that, according to reports.
The caretaker was trying to get the boys to wait until the girls finished but while doing so he was met with what he described as a very disrespectful and rude young man. He then began to try and get him off the court. He alleges that the boy hit him in the face and then threw a basketball at him.
But the circulating video shows the caretaker manhandling the child. Today we spoke with Jason Menzies, the director at the National Sports Council who explained the investigation into the matter so far:
Jason Menzies, Director - NSC
"We're not exactly sure what transpired, we saw a clip from a video and we are gathering reports from the administrative officer in Dangriga, the caretaker and the police who we requested that the caretaker go and make a police report."
"The sports council has a policy of no confrontations and de-escalation so our employees should in instances where there would be a confrontation to step back or to de-escalate, that is our policy."
"My information is that our caretaker was detained earlier when he went to make a report concerning the father who I believe is also a police officer assaulted our caretaker also."
"For safety there's only one discipline at a time on the court, the girls volleyball was on the court at the time and the boys who came to play basketball were asked to not use the facility as the girls were playing but I'm not aware that he was being rude to the girls."
"Social media, the life of it is instantaneous and so if the reaction is to wait to be reasonable or wait to have all sides then the, that's not the point of it, it's just this reactiveness and therein lies the danger of it."
Reporter
"So what would you guys like to clarify as a Ministry about this incident."
Jason Menzies, Director - NSC
"That if our is wrong in his action, if he did not follow Sports council's policy, that he will be held accountable for that."
The police department has still not taken the report from the caretaker and the council is asking for a more adequate response from the police department.
