Apologies demanded from Bahamian and Grenadian police

Commissioner of Police Keith Miller has written to the commissioners of police in The Bahamas and Grenada demanding apologies for the content of letters sent by those countries’ Police Welfare Associations expressing solidarity with the policewoman who has accused Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves of raping her.{{more}}

COP Miller told SEARCHLIGHT that the letters of solidarity sent to the local Police Welfare Association show disrespect to the entire justice system of St Vincent and the Grenadines.

He explained that the messages sent assume the Prime Minister’s guilt, and were sent even after Justice Gertel Thom upheld the Director of Public Prosecution’s (DPP) decision to discontinue the charges, by not allowing his decision to be reviewed.

“I have also written to the president of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP),” Commissioner Miller said.

He said that he requested apologies for Justice Gertel Thom, the Prime Minister, DPP Colin Williams, and himself.

“I told them if I do not get the apologies then I will be seeking advice from the Attorney General as to my legal options,” COP Miller said.

As a spin off from this, COP Miller has taken issue with statements that were allegedly made on NICE radio by that station’s proprietor Douglas De Freitas on May 2nd, during the “In Gear” morning show.

Miller said that DeFreitas totally mixed up what transpired in a meeting that he supposedly got information about, and behaved irresponsibly by not following up on the accuracy, reliability and authenticity of the information he received.

According to a police press release, during the programme, DeFreitas claimed that the Chairman of the local Police Welfare Association Corporal Brenton Smith was bashed by Miller and threatened with legal action for standing up for the policewoman who has accused Dr Gonsalves.

The release said that DeFreitas claimed that in a meeting that was called to deal with escalating crime in the country, Miller used the opportunity to go at Corporal Smith.

According to the press release, Corporal Smith has denied DeFreitas’ claim, saying that the Commissioner was dealing with him about other statements that he made that had nothing to do with Dr Gonsalves’ accuser.

Miller told SEARCHLIGHT that it was an administrative issue.

Miller, however, told SEARCHLIGHT that he also raised the issue of the solidarity letters with Smith, but the conversation was in no way represented by what DeFrietas claimed during his programme, but was instead in the context as was earlier explained.(KJ)