Police Commissioner Cyril Carrette has denounced the use of illegal firearms by alleged drug dealers, following the shooting deaths of two men in separate incidents in less than two weeks.
However the Commissioner told Dominica News Online that these fatal acts of violence although of concern, do not mean that the country’s national security is being threatened.
“I wouldn’t say national security is being compromised in that matter. Those are persons who do their illegal activities that we are aware of, and then they try to protect their turf,” he said.
The commissioner said as far as the force is concerned, there is no gang warfare in Dominica, but there are isolated cases of people trying to protect their associates, resulting in the ongoing spate of killings.
However Carrette told DNO that people in the Portsmouth area where the killings took place had reason to be concerned.
30-year-old Armstrong Drigo was the latest victim, shot multiple times on Wednesday at his home.
The police are investigating that matter, and the Commissioner said that there were individuals being questioned but that the police did not yet have any suspects.
He has served notice that the police will step up efforts to find individuals in possession of illegal weapons with a view to getting guns and other such weapons off the streets.
Carrette said while some might scream police harassment as these operations are pursued, the authorities would be relentless in trying to deal with that matter in as professional a manner as possible, to minimize future cases of shooting deaths in the country.
The top cop also acknowledged concerns expressed by one Portsmouth-based Catholic priest that children in the Portsmouth area were being used as drug mules by traffickers.
He said the police were aware of that, and that they were in fact concerned that some parents were encouraging the practice because they were benefitting from these illegal acts.
Commissioner Carrette called on parents to join the police in tackling the problem instead of giving encouragement to those involved in illicit activity.
He has also urged members of the public to help locate illegal weapons by alerting the authorities about people seen with such weapons in their possession.
Click link below for Commissioners full interview:
Com Cyril Carrette audio for online
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I am sick and tired of hearing Carrtte responses. Individuals gun down each other in my my mind is not about national security. National security typically refers to if for example Another country was threatening to invade DA then we would be talking bout national security. Similarly if some local folks were seeking to overthrow the govt by force, again this could be deemed as a threat to national security. But any time this man is responding to some shooting he always states that this is not a threat to national security. So we should all feel safe in our beds as these fatal shootings are not a threat to our national security. Mr Carrette, please enlighten yourself as to what this phrase really refers to and stop abusing it.
Zaboca, people like you are the reason y Dominicans are so bloody narrow minded, when the police speak words of encouragement, you complain, when they try to do something necessary to help curb the rising crime wave, you complain…y didn’t you join the force to do a better job…PUT UP OR SHUT IT MAN.
I hope the masses who are commenting on here do not dry foul, police brutality, police harassment, etc. when the officers step up the efforts to eradicate this craziness from our towns. It is almost like some of you are blaming other people and using bullshit politics to make bogus comments/points on here about why this will not stop.
We as a society should be fed up of these senseless killings in our society. Sooner or later if this continues, especially in Portsmouth, innocent people are going to be caught in the crossfire. Where should police our community and established neighborhood watches, the police force should do a better job in reaching out to the community to create or re-establish trust amongst the citizens. We have to be our brothers keeper in order to protect our children who hopefully can be the future. Wrong is wrong. For those of you on here who claim you know someone, be it minister, pastor, teacher, nurse, doctor, police, police commissioner, etc who is involved in drugs and drug trafficking, find someone you can trust and let them know. Aunty, Nenen, Father, Brother, son, daughter, do the same too.
We have to stop being hypocrites because our very own existence will be at stake. It will be one funeral after another and mothers and fathers wailing at cemeteries all over the place.
Let us change our mentality and tackle this thing as a community and I suggest to the people of Portsmouth to put all their political, religious, and social difference aside and organize a Prayer for Peace in Portsmouth Movement and gather in the Town Square and Pray for the eradication and the end to all the malice and in the place.
One Love Dominicans….Righteous Possiecan.
it amazes me that this is our police commissioner. Denouncing the use of guns is not going to let the issue go away. We need the police of the old days back.
I see your point,99.9% you included, of the people who bashes the Commissioner, are the ones doing most, if not all of the whining…I’ve got to handed to you blokes, you’ve got more BASKET BALLS in your pants than the entire NBA.
Commission you need to step aside because you contradicting yourself. You know they in illegal activity but you allowing them to do so? So its cool for them to shoot themselves in public endangering others? Wow. DOminica finish
Well I agree with Mr Carrett that Dominica is a safe country and our security is not under threat. We must take a step back and analyzed the two recent shootings in Portsmouth. The first male had sixteen gun related charges pending against him and he was killed in a drive buy shooting which is very dangerous for the law abiding citizens who could have been injured. This male was well known to the Police therefore we must asked why was he out on the streets and not in jail. I could only summized that the Judicial system failed because he should have been in jail. The second male was shot in his home and we must asked was it related to the first shooting. I would like to know who is the highest Ranking Police Official in Portsmouth and what plans he put into place to prevent a rataliatory shooting. Also if the Police Department is aware of those people who are engaged in criminal acts and they are protecting their territory then what the Police is doing about this illegal activities they know about. We cannot just wait until such violent acts happen rather our Police Department should be pro-active to prevent such incidents and protect our citizens.
drug men just giving the cops some work to do. crimes and laws goes hand in hand so criminals are just playing their part whilce the police doing their jobs or else the cops would just be sitting on their lazy as$e$ doing nothing and getting paid. thumbs up to the law offenders and the law upholders.
To kill using firearms is a criminal act.
To sell our property, our passports, especially diplomatic ones, to people who are crooks and dealing in fraudulent acts is also a criminal act. Because it is done in secret, the people are not informed, but find out not from their Govt., but from patriotic Dominicans.
Were Dominicans informed about the Ambassador to the FAO or to Ireland? Check their backgrounds. Make a google search. White collar crimes – fraud, kickbacks, quick enrichment through dubious means by those in public office, are also serious crimes that could kill a nation.
Attempted murders of innocent civilians by firebombing their homes are heinous criminal acts as well. Investigation KIBOSH? After 1 year, Nada? Why? Why? Why? Make the connections people.
All crimes are crimes and must be dealt with accordingly. Spare no one. Investigate all crimes irrespective of who commits the crime and bring the culprits to the courts. Justice must be done. None must be protected. None should be defended by those in authority because they have friends in ‘high places .” Only then could we feel safe Mr. Carrette.
It is freightening the way things are going on in Dominica. Many cry crocodile tears when someone is shot and killed. They glibly talk about reducing crimes but refuse to condemn all crimes or criminal acts outright. A courts order to arrest a certain lawyer was disobeyed. The Top Cop told the world that because he was out of state the arrest could not be carried out. Utter rubbish !!! They say one thing, but do the exact opposite. Mr. Carrette we are hearing and seeing. What about the unlicensed gun as evidence in the court, but was given back to the owner? No arrest for the “Big Wigs.”
Mr. Carette I can well and fully understand why you speak so unintelligibly,because you are sir you are just a plain simpleton. That is exactly why you were giving that position of commissioner. Because of your limited ability and capacity you are a prime candidate to be a puppet and that you are sir, that you are. People in this country are not stupid as we think even if some pretend to be for convenience. We know of all the cases that your police force has refused to investigate even in instances where the evidence is glaring,we know that most of the officers in your police force DO NOT HAVE THE BASIC ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS to enter the police force(THAT IS WHY MOST OF OUR CRIMES DO NOT GET SOLVED BECAUSE THESE GUYS NEVER EVEN PASSED BASIC CXC ENGLISH),we know that most of your new recruits were sent to join the police force by their parliamentary representatives even if they were college drop outs,we know that most of them support the regime in power in Dominica. So,Mr. Commissioner, when you come on the air to speak your “utter rubbish” about the security of Dominica not being compromised you must take a good look at Trinidad who had to set up curfew to curtail the violent activities there. And DNO you may not publish some of the comments that we the readers have posted but thta still doesn’t mean that we do not know what is going on in OUR country.
we too small for this to be happening under 100,000 people this need to stop
I think that persons who are in the drug trade without a propoer job should have their bank accounts investigated and if they cannot give account of the source of their accounts then they should be confiscated…. and a lot of it is going on in the country.
you take people drugs pay for it if you know you not paying live (leave) them people drugs
tell police who have gun for police to tell them people who tell them. you forget the drug man and the police is good friends watch and see.
you all forget police informing crooks before police go on them.
I can recall in 1995-6 there about. many police raids were attempted in the north.Those very officers of the ssu were not told where they were going until well en-route to avoid tip offs.When they arrived at the scene the dealers were long gone no drugs cash nor guns were found continuously.it was later discovered the sell -out was too hight to imagine or touch.
Ask any SSU member of the mid to late 90’s.
Officer/Mr Carrette, the police must make it part of their daily routine to search the members of cabinet.The police should also search most of the police. That’s where we need to start.
KILL BY THE GUN DIE BY THE GUN
CAN YOU HEAR ALL YOU
WE ARE THREATENED BY WHATIS HAPPENING IN THE COUNTRY .. WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO SAY .. ONLY THE COMISSIONER AND THE GOVERNMENT OF D/CA THAT CAN WORK TOGETHER TO DECREAS ETHE CRIME RATE
II ALLY TO EVE
i bet no one clicked on the link to read the full story…LOL……
I agree with what he is saying Dominica is still one of the safest places in the world…i mean come on people if you really had the sense that is so called common you would agree too, compared to other that have over 20-30 killings per day we are still safe. And again most importantly its not innocent people that are getting killed, these people know what they are in, its kill or be killed. Its a process for these people.
Many institutions in Dominica are being seriously influenced by political operatives. Many in leadership positions of those organisations or institutions are compromising their positions and doing the biddings of MASSA.
Why does our nation allow SO FEW in power with Power to control so many? Mentally Enslaved? Greed? Fear? On numerous occasions, Dominicans have been seeing and hearing how the country is degenerating into a FAILED, CORRUPT STATE because of the immoral, unethical, nepotic, behaviour of a FEW.
Some in top positions are doing all in their power to defend, protect those who are involved in all kinds of corrupt practices.
In a Press conference some time ago, a journalist asked the Top Cop, politely, whether the police would be investigating the famous RUBBISH BIN BOBOL, given that the DPP had submitted related documents to the police for futher action. Not surprisingly, the top cop’s reply was that they would not been investigating that Rubbish Bin Bobol anytime soon. For true my people, the top cop did say those words. Remember those things. Tell me I lie. What utter rubbish is going on right in our faces, and under our noses?
In another Press Conference, the Top Cop was heard saying that the police prosecutor was wrong to request that ‘Bubbles’ hand over the unlicensed gun which was in the custody of the court as evidence in a case involving intimidation of some people who had visited the site of the villas. We must never forget those things. DNO could verify whether what I post is true or false. The audio recordings of those press conferences in question will prove me right for sure.
The said police prosecutor cleared the air indicating that it was the court which requested that the unlicensed gun should be brought back to the court as evidence. So to that Top cop, it was right for a police to have taken the evidence, the unlicensed gun, from the court and hand it back to the owner. But the court was wrong to request the unlicensed gun back. Why? Do you all see the direction our sweet country is heading? Note well, absolutely NOTHING, has been done to this day, to right that wrong done by the one who took the unlicensed gun from the court.
It is not the majority of Dominicans who have brought Dominica to that sorry state. It is the FEW who have turned many into Zombies to be totally controlled and bambozooled. Put Butter around cats mouth and what happens?
so true. indominica it has become convenient to blame the masses for the ills of a few in top authority.
Until we learn the place the responsibility on the residents in our communities who are providing a safe haven for these drugs users and opperatives to use and do business then we will be going down a slippery slope.
Government have a part to play in enforcing the law and ensuring that the criminals are brought to justice but you cannot continue blaming them by trying to referrence some wrongs with the drug trade. Until we learn to place the blame where it is due and find solutions the problem will continue.
We all have a responsiblity to do our civic responsiblity instead of always placing the blame on the few in leadership. This will not help any political party in power because regardless of who is governing now or in the future the problem will continue until we face it head on and decide as a Dominican people to seriously make a change in our views, outlook, perceptions, behaviours and stop playing the blame game.
We have to stop recycling the same garbage and attaching it to issue or incident which occurs on our island.
If you are aware that youg kids are being used as traffic mules why haven’t you done something about it RIGHT NOW! For God sake
VERY GOOD COMMENT MR.COMMISSIONER.we need more random searches, search the bus drivers,search the high school girls ,search the college students,search the teachers,search the haitians ,the spanish,the police, just search everybody including yourself,the prime minister,and some of ministers.CAMERA DOESNOT LIE , BUSH HAVE EYES, PEOPLE SEEING WHATS GOING ON SO SEARCH EVERYBODY. I CAN HELP YOU TO DO THAT.
Totally in agreement, it always start from the TOP and trickles down to the BOTTOM.
OOOOOOK Then, Mr.Commissioner wait until there’s more threats, way to go.
keep on investigating papa……Dominica seems like a crime haven…..there’s a 99% chance that you won’t get caught….so why is our prison filled….. what you need to do is stop harassing the small drug dealers….
when you all drive by and see them on the corner selling their drugs….just wave at them and move on….as for and the parents who let their kids transport drugs ..leave them alone…. you are accomplishing nothing /nada/zilch/ by harassing these people….
go after the big drug dealers and and the banks who take their money…investigate businesses that are being used to clean some of these drug money……..yes is the most elite in society that are the biggest criminals…
what the priest need to do is to go out of his way and council these kids because the adults in their life are leading them down the wrong path ….he need to go out of his way to also counsel these parents….
but instead he is getting the police involved…what does he want to see happen ….he want to see these adults put in jail?…then will he take care of the kids?
there is a war going on alright………and it has been going on .it is the rich waging war against the poor………..without the rich it would be almost impossible for drugs to reach our streets…..
once again leave those damn people sell their 5 dollars crack……no one is forcing no one to take drugs……….if any one is to be blamed it should be the elite in society………..
lastly the most effective way of dealing with this drug problem is to be better parents….and the market/demand for the drug would decrease….
LOLLLLLLLLLLLL to be very honest i now hold a legal job and everytime i see my Paycheque at month end I reminise on the days when i peddled my little pacs…..I used to make my legal salary in one week on the corner…..say what you want but when your child need milk and diapers and u have to see you cannot buy a shoe for yourself at month end…..boyyyyyyyy that corner does look SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTT!!!
Mr. Carret you know well the country is under threat ,do not use just two incident to make your no weight speech.Is not drug dealers alone that have guns or using guns on DA who are the drugs dealers by the way?you know very well who they are.Dominicans our lives are at risk with all that guns. How far does a bullet travel to do damage?how powerful is a gun?just like a the pouring of water from a cup absolutly not,even we never touch a gun we have an idea what can happen.the aurthories need to start being honest ,stop fooling yourselves not us we are wise even we blunda sometimes
Mr. Carette, please souplay keep your mouth shut if you have nothing better to say. Hopefully the person that will replace you next year as top cop due to your pending retirement will do a much better job. It is my humble opinion that Mr. Weeks or former Supt. Alfred are the only ones capable of reigning in the police and criminals alike.
THERE ARE ROUGE ELEMENTS WHO WOULD LIKE TO HAVE US BELIEVE THAT OUR LEADERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERY THING BAD THAT,S HAPPENING IN THIS COUNTRY.
THESE SAME ELEMENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR VOMITTING TRASH AND FILTH ON OUR AIRWAYS EVEN GOING AS FAR AS INCITING VIOLENCE AND REBELLION AMONG OUR PEACEFUL PEOPLE.
I AM DOMINICA AND I LOVE MY COUNTRY AND DOMINICA IS STILL ONE OF THE SAFEST PLACES IN THE WORLD.
MR CARETTE DO NOT BE DAFT.
THE TWO YOUNG LADIES FROM GRANDBAY WHO GOT SHOT ,ONE DIED WERE THEY DRUG DEALERS? THE YOUNG BOY WHO WAS SHOT AT BODIO GRAND COULIBRIE AT GRAND BAY WAS THE YOUNG MANY A DEALER?THIS YOUNG MANY HAD NO PROBLEM WITH THE GUY WHO SHOT HIM ,THIS GUY FIRED A BULLET AFTER SOMEONE ELSE .
HOW MANY LOST BULLETS ARE YOU WAITING FOR ,TO KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE?HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT THAT YOUR CHILD,MOTHER ,BROTHER, SISTER OR CLOSE RELATIVE CAN BE KILLED BY A LOST BULLET?HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT THAT ONE DAY A DEALERS CHILD CAN TAKE A GUN TO SCHOOL AS A TOY AND KILL YOUR CHILD?IT HAPPENS ELSE WHERE ,WHY DO YOU THINK IT WILL NOT HAPPEN IN DOMINICA?TAKE HEED IT WILL HAPPEN THE DAY WE ARE LEAST EXPECTING IT TO HAPPEN .
THE GOV’T AND THE POLICE MUST WORK TOGETHER TO ERADICATE CRIME BY PUTTING THEIR HANDS ON DRUG DEALERS WITH GUNS BUT THE PUBLIC MUST REPORT WHO EVER THEY KNOW AS A GUN OWNER .THE REPORTER SHOULD BE PROTECTED BY ALL MEANS BECAUSE IF THE GOV’T REFUSE TO PROTECT A REPORTER PEOPLE WILL REFUSE TO REPORT SUCH THINGS AND ANY OTHER CRIMINAL ACTS.
C B I support your speech .When Mr. Carret will see people deing by gun shots like Jamaica or Trinidad he will say otherwise or when it will happen to his immediate family and he will be anxious for the killer to be caught thats when he will say otherwise,right now he does not care a rats behind about who it happens to.
Mr Carrette do you also denounce FIRE BOMBING AND ATTEMPTED MURDER?
Mr Carrette with the help on Interpol, can you make a more concerted effort to find Sico/Seco, the person of interest in the GON EMMANUEL FIRE BOMBING AND ATTEMPTED MURDER?
JUSTICE AND PEACE GOES TOGETHER SIR.
THE LABOR PARTY SUPPORTERS CALLED MR. EDISON JAMES ALL SORTS OF NAMES AND REMOVED HIM FROM OFFICE NOT BECAUSE HIS GOVERNMENT DID SOMETHING FOR DOMINICA AS THE SAYING GOES TOOPARTO, BUT BECAUSE IT WAS ALLEDGED HE WAS A CURRUPTED POLITICIAN. RESENTLY THE PM CRITICIZED THE UWP WAS NOMINATING HIM AS LEADER OF THE UWP PARTY, THEY WENT ON TO SAY THAT HE WAS TO OLD AND THEY STILL NEEDED A HANDSOME YOUNG MAN WITH DIMPLES. THEM FELLARS INCLUDING THE TOP COP HAS NOT UP TODAY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT IT WAS UNDER THE ELDER STATESMAN EDISON JAMES WATCH THAT A GUN AMNESTY WAS INSTITUTED.THEY GAVE ALL KINDS OF REASONS WHY A GUN AMNESTY WAS NOT REQUIRED. TODAY DOMINICA AND PORTSMOUTH BY EXTENSION REMINDS DOMINICANS OF THOSE OLD COWBOY MOVIES MY DAD USE TO TIGHT IN CARIBE PIT TO SEE. I HAVE SAID IT BEFORE AND I AM GOING TO SAY IT AGAIN,WE NEED THAT ELDER STATESMAN NOW MORE THEN EVER.
i like that. Some parents to “soutiweh”. all they seeing is $$$$ if you start questioning your children from 10 – 11yrs about where they get things you didn’t get them; don’t try to do it at 14. it is too late.
“Those are persons who do their illegal activities that we are aware of….” You Mr. law know and aware of them but do nothing why why why…who or what you afraid of Sir??? It is your job to uphold the law and get a salary but it seem to us that you just there like a watchmen to get a salary. We wonder why????
I have always maintained that in almost every village or hamlet in Dominica we have a police office employed by the state. This officer knows the major drug dealer/s from
a-z..So it’s just the surveillance that is not being done.On the contrary you will find some of the crooked cops, laughing and drinking with these criminals, while they continue to destroy our human resource.
THIS FORCE HAS TOO MANY ‘Characters”. It needs a PURGING!
When the POLICE is getting their cut from the drug dealers, they always turn a blind eye.There’re crooked cops,pm and the mps from top to bottom,
I agree with Commissioner Carrette 100%…Dominica is a pretty safe country….where in the world you can’t find crime?…There will always be idiots with guns who want to prove a point and see where it gets them…
D.A MASSIVE…WE GOOD TO GO!!!!
he portsmouth police men which went on the scene about 15 minutes after***
Mr Carrette i am concerned myself about the criminal happenings in Dominica. My biggest concern and disappointment however lies with our leaders, particularly the top brass of the police, who say one thing and do another. For example why are we calling for a cessation of gun warfare, and the police returned an unlicensed gun to the owner? POLITICAL? BIDDING OF HIS MASTER/GOD? Why are certain people compromising theirleadership position,and compromising the public trust in them and their institution? Political expediency? When we talk about crime are we sweeping under the carpet White collar crime? DELIBERATE? What about arson? moneylaundering? tax evasion?human trafficking? drug trafficking? etc? I am very much afraid sir,and i am sure that many Dominicans are sharing my sentiments,that the institution which you head has lost so much trust and credibility,that without divine intervention, we are already doomed.
Did you say you are aware that school children are being used as MULES? What action/s have you taken Sir? Did you say that the people doing the illegal activities YOU ARE AWARE OF THEM? Of course the public knows that the police are aware of these people!This is being echoed everyday Sir. What have you been doing about that Sir?
I end by saying hello TO GON EMMANUEL AND HIS WIFE. STAY STRONG MY BELOVED COUNTRYMEN.
Political expediency by leaders can ruin a nation.
@ % while agree with your comment sometimes it is more than it seems. we all say why is nothing being done, but nothing can be done just because 99 french men say so (even if we know it is true). if no one comes forward with evidence/proof then nothing can be done and we all know that. some of us just keep saying that nothing is being done but we are not helping in the cycle so that anything can be done.
@hmm. I agree to a certain extent, but the entire nation needs to tackle this issue head on in 2012.We must try to salvage Dominica bro.Greedy politicians care less/nothing about this country,the people need to do what they can.
http://virginislandsdailynews.com/news/top-15-homicide-rates-in-the-world-1.1253003#axzz1igxy86Ug
This is part of the world we live in. The crime rate in Dominica is bad or so we thought, let’s take courage and assist the Police in keeping the crime rate lower than it is today.
The police needs the help of all the citizens to keep Dominica safe and peaceful, should we fail then the statistics above will be stairing us right in the face and we won’t be able to blame Carrette, Skerrit, James, Sprags or anyone else but ourselves.
Crime fighting shouldn’t be left to the police only, it’s all of us business. The question to you is,”What part have you played or is playing to reduce the incidence of crime in Dominica?
GUNS,GUNS AND MORE GUNS WE NEED TO STEP UP AND DO SOME JUSTICE IN THIS PLACE