Police Commissioner Gary Griffith has responded to the Police Complaints Authority’s recommendation that the officers involved in the fatal shooting of three men be suspended, saying he make his final decision public by 9am on Tuesday.
While Griffith promised to “act accordingly” following the investigation report, he took issue with the manner in which the PCA handled the matter, claiming a media release was issued before he had received the relevant document.
Monday’s developments follows three days of residents taking to the streets to call for justice after the three men-Israel Clinton, Joel Jacob and Noel Diamond- were killed by Inter Agency Task Force and Guard and Emergency Branch officers at Juman Avenue on June 27th.
Read the Commissioner’s full statement below:
The Commissioner of Police (CoP) wishes to confirm receipt of correspondence from the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), with recommendations pertaining to the fatal shooting of three persons by police officers in Morvant, on June 27th 2020.
As was stated by the CoP on several occasions, he was awaiting preliminary reports by the PCA from their investigation, before he takes any decisive action on this matter.
Now that he has received it, it would be reviewed and he would act accordingly.
What he would not do, is to make a public comment as it pertains to any decision made, on any police officer, without first informing said officers.
This is now being done, and the public would be informed accordingly, but only after the officers are informed.
It is unfortunate that the PCA however, did not operate in such a professional manner, as a media release of recommendations made on the officers was issued, even before the actual correspondence even reached the desk of the CoP, meaning that the sensitive recommendations on the officers have been made public, so the said officers are made aware of the recommendations, not through the proper channel, but via the media release issued by the PCA, of actions recommended to be taken on them.
This is not the appropriate manner to deal with such sensitive issues, by sending out a media release to the public, without the person required to action the recommendation, even getting the actual correspondence in his hands to do so.
The COP would inform the public of action taken by 9:00am on Tuesday 7th July, 2020, after the said officers have been briefed and informed, as per the proper procedure.
