Carnival wear: Police say camouflage still not allowed

Photo credit: www.rothco.com

Police spokesperson Inspector Claude Weekes has sent out a stern reminder to carnival revelers  that the laws pertaining to military camouflage wear are still ‘on the books.’

“We have a responsibility to remind the public that the laws on the military uniform are not banned, are not suspended or repealed,” Weekes told Dominica News Online.

Persons or groups who desire to be attired in camouflage for the 2010 carnival season must seek official permission from the police commissioner.

“We know there have been meetings all over, year after year, with respect to that, but the point is the laws are there notwithstanding the fact that they believe the laws should be banned or should be overlooked … it has to be obeyed… for it to be used, as we know already, permission has to be sought from the relevant authorities [whether it be] for theatrical performance or if it’s something in relation to carnival permission must be sought … the law is not suspended and that will not be accepted,” Weekes asserted.

He is hopeful the public can cooperate with the police on that matter.

Persons found in contravention of that law could be faced with a heavy fine from the court. Failure to pay the fine could result in a jail sentence, Weekes pointed out.

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42 Comments

  1. September 20, 2010

    @pat: i live and born england and think you have not got a clue what you are talking about if anyone tryed to bring a stupid law like this to the houses of parliament in london the whole country would be laughing you would even here laughing all the way in dominica

  2. September 20, 2010

    police get a life and stick to policing and leave fashion to people who no what they are doing

  3. pat
    February 21, 2010

    some dominican are so narrow minded and stupid and they need to travel and broaden their horizons and let the police do their jobs.

  4. London
    February 17, 2010

    This law is absolutely stupid!!!! The Dominican police are babies compared to other police forces! They need to find something useful with their time instead of enforcing stupid laws like that!!!

  5. whatever
    February 5, 2010

    The Dominican govt needs to look or review its law on such matter that just bull crap.

  6. MAESTRO
    February 2, 2010

    LAL, Good for you that you live in America great. Is that the same nation where a Flight Instructor in a Flight School, did not find anything suspicious about students of Arab descent paying him huge sums of money BUT ONLY interested in how to turn a JET LINER after it was in flight? The same nation that trained the men who carried out the 9 11 attacks. For your infor I was in the middle of 9 11 ok and America is very good for Educational opportunities, earning a living, shopping, vacation war, etc but please stop trying to get Dominca to be like your adopted country. Its not all good in the US of A. Would like to see your home become like New York and then try to fix it? How we love talking about America as if no one else knows about America. This is Dominica and the Police are paid by the citizenry to protect Dominica and its people and to do allin their powere to limit crime in Dominca why is that so hard for you to comprehend??? That is also the ROLE of the Police Force in Cuba, Russia, England, France, Irag, Iran, Israel and yes in the United States of America!! Thats what the Police Force was designed and founded to do, UPHOLD LAW AND ORDER! PEACE.

  7. MAESTRO
    February 2, 2010

    Greetings all,

    this is not a war nor is it a Political issue ok, this is simply LAW and the role of the Police in society. They are paid to uphold law and maintain order on the behalf of the very people who now criticise them. The Police do not pariticipate in enacting laws in Parliament so why is it that we attack them for informing us on the requirements of a certain ? Should they wait in ambush to arrest scores of citizens on Carnival day? would that make us happier and more supportive of the Police, whose primary function is to prevent crime? What would satisfy us?

    Let us consider this issue of Camouflage and what it can be used for by the criminally minded.

    Five individuals dressed in complete Camouflage and carrying weapons knock on your door at 3: 00 am in the morning and identrify themselves as Police Officers with a Search Warrant. You obediently open your doors and they go on to search and carry from your house certain valuables and electronic Items for investigations, they say.

    You cooperate with the “Police” and later you visit the Police Station in your district to present proof that you own these itemns and to hear from the police what their position is. Lets add that they cut up a few of your settees and destroyed another expensive item of yours, so you talking compensation.
    Your entire family is with you because, lets also add that, one of the men slapped your eleven year
    old daughter.

    How would you deal with the shocking reality that the men who were in your house that early morning were NOT Police Officers? What would you do about the invasion of your privacy? How would you accept the opinion that we are not America with so much crime and larger population so everyone can wear Camouflage?

    Some Laws need to be ammended or taken off the Books but when Laws are put in place to protect us we seem unable to see the danger that resulted in these Laws being on the books. This one is for our protection and we need to speak to our Parlreps if we have any issue with it.

    In the meantime we do not have to wear Camnouflage to enjoy Carnival do we? We do not have to encourage lawlessness in Carnival. All the individuals who love attacking the Police I wonder sometimes if any of you would last one month in such an occupation, because from the outside it looks easy, but I know it is not like any other occupation. They are our servants and only care about our safety so please do not hate the Police even if on afew occaissions they fail to deliver excellence somtimes because they can only do so much with the little that the state can afford to provide.

    The LAW SAYS WE CANNOT WEAR ANY THING RESEMBLING CAMOUFLAGE AND THAT INCLUDES FASHION CAMO OK. WE CAN WEAR THE SHOES HOWEVER SO WEAR CAMO SHOES.

    PEACE

    A

  8. lookscene
    January 27, 2010

    They don’t want civilians mistaking other civilians for law enforcers or ppl of the law.. cause by right according to the law in dominica only police can wear camo and not the locals..tell me if anybody gonna think a woman on duty or in the police force 4 wearing a 2 piece bikini camo bathing suit? lol i would laugh to see them tell someone they cant wear that.

  9. lal
    January 27, 2010

    i ain’t blaming skewo but lets analize this ppl .anyone with brians here!! i haved live in america that is a zillion times bigger than dominica, has more crime than dominica, has a military and thats the place most likely people will perpertrate these types of crime. i don’t c the U.S government banning camoufalge. if someone has the entire outfit i may say well they may have to mix it up so that it doesn’t resemble a police officer. however what the police is implying is that we are dumbinicans so we cannot make out the difference between a police and a woman wearing her sexy outfit to jump carnival. give us a break mr commissioner, prime minister and whoever else. scrw the gov all about control and making ppl life miserable .I still wear my army during carnival cause in my area ain’t no stoping that. i won’t walk with it on a regular day but during carnival they can’t stop the shine.

  10. but wah i seeing dere
    January 26, 2010

    hm wat for dominica police to mind dey doesn mind…..magway sa!!

  11. poor us
    January 26, 2010

    @ ME thank you for showing themhow simple tis stupidness can be solved.

    TOOT too bouche – how can we go arojnd changing this stupid rules care too give some information? should one go around collecting signatures?

  12. ME
    January 26, 2010

    Weeks said (“Persons found in contravention of that law could be faced with a heavy fine from the court. Failure to pay the fine could result in a jail sentence, Weekes pointed out.”)
    the funny thing it the prision has only 7 spaces left, where u gonna put the 50 people gonna wear comauflage anyways? and what about the 20 who are going to fight anyways?
    I think the police comauflage should be writen POLICE in it.
    There are also facion comauflage and the real one, so u mean to tell me if a girl have a shirt like the one shown in this news post she will be arrested.

    STOP HARRASSING people and look to clean up your own police force…

  13. January 26, 2010

    “The Police have nothing to do with this law,they are just upholding it.Why don’t we petition our Gov’t to change it. Gov’t came and left and they never change it after Mamo put it there. If those Gov’t people cared why did they not repeal the law?(Workers and Labour).”

    I agreed with Toot too Bouche so much I had to copy and paste. Year after year the police say the same thing at carnival time. Why did none of you Jacks go to your parl rep and discuss your issue with the camouflage laws?

    Mamo put the law there after the 1981 coup attempt, because the defence force fellas were wearing it when they almost overthrow her government. So she say @#$k that, NOBODY but police officers going and wear that sh!t from now on.

    All you dominicans just like to hide behind all your pc’s and post all you ignorant comments.

    Don’t shoot the messenger.

  14. Stupes...
    January 26, 2010

    @ Snipes…U are an idiot..we know every bloody police man and woman sometimes even before they leave Morne Bruce..thats how small D/ca is.
    U mean to tell me that it will be soooo difficult to differenciate between a legitimate police and someone who wears the Camo as style. Come on man..and where did u get access to the internet under that rock it seems u living under????
    anyways i really dont see wat all the fuss is about dont wear the ..clothing….

  15. truth
    January 26, 2010

    u talking about jail for a clothes but i hope u do the same for the ex comissioner son who shot the guy

  16. Director General
    January 26, 2010

    Can’t believe DA police laws! What they, the police officers need to adhere to is having there police number and there police ID card clearly visible so that people can distinguish a civilian from a police officer. Hence giving people the option to wear what they like in this tranquillity time in Dominica.. Nothing wrong in wearing a Como Dominican’s! Inspector Claude Weekes and the rest need to review there laws…. I’m in the British Armed Forces and I don’t think that Weekes will tell me what to wear and not wear come Carnival time.. See you all Da people……..

  17. January 26, 2010

    I do not know what year you in sir.All I know it is 2010 get real.

  18. D/can
    January 26, 2010

    In the UK the Government encourage individuals to wear camo to promote the army, by doing that they recorded the highest number of recruits in 15 years, But then again Dominican isn’t the only Island in the Caribbean to have this law, Antigua and St. Vincent Does as well.

  19. wait awhile ner
    January 26, 2010

    i have a complete camo outfit i bought in NY at a NAVY store……when i say complete i mean hat,shorts,shoes,and short top,even the sac porche…..aa..but them poilice DA not easy……i would think that them tings would be banned in USA not DA…..pure foolishness….nonsense!!!!!!!!!!!

  20. john
    January 26, 2010

    we too like to jump tp conclusions, i went to another caribbean country n someone was travelling with a camouflage in his bag, the customs ppl took it and told him he will get it when he’s leaving as it is not allowed. i think we need to adopt that approach to deal with the whole issue…

  21. Shame
    January 25, 2010

    SKERRO please revisit these laws. Send your police officers to learn about bringing criminals to justice. Too many murderers found innocent.

  22. Shame
    January 25, 2010

    LMFAO I can imagine SNipes being searched by a woman in the top displayed thinking she is a cop. Nice one.

  23. Shame
    January 25, 2010

    The laws that should be enforced are ignored. People still shooting and killing without Camou. Boy I am so frigging happy i am not in DOminica. The law need to focus more on winning murder trials than on clothing.

  24. Toot Too bouche
    January 25, 2010

    Are we Dominicans suffering from amnesia? or we just like to hide behind a keyboard and type rubbish?

    The Police have nothing to do with this law,they are just upholding it.Why don’t we petition our Gov’t to change it. Gov’t came and left and they never change it after Mamo put it there. If those Gov’t people cared why did they not repeal the law?(Workers and Labour).

    You all ready to jump on the band wagon calling the Police all kinds of name,call on your Gov’t to repeal the Law!

    Stop making your country look bad,just lots of noise and no action behind it.

  25. maggiedumpling
    January 25, 2010

    Can someone please give a background on the reason why the law was instituted regarding the wearing of military uniform? Those of you young ones who were either in diapers or still picking flowers in heaven when the then government of the day found it ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to enact this legislation will be enlightened with a history lesson. Come on Dominican historians we are seating with pen and paper ready for our history lesson.

    An Overview of the law that led to the enactment of “Military Uniform Prohibition Act, Chap 10:10”. Since some of us are so quick to burst a blood vessel when things do not suit us we hope to learn a lot from this. Someone mentioned that the Chinese are selling this garment. Well ask any of these vendors if they would have done the same in China if there was a similar law on the books.

    Those who are opposing this legislation can speak to their respective elected officials and come up with compeling reasons why in this age of terror and terrorist threats worldwide why the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica in its wisdom should be retrogressive in their apporach to be avante garde in their quest to combat terrorism home grown or otherwise. God bless the Commonwealth of Dominica and its faithful servants.

    Daughter of a cop

  26. Thoughtful
    January 25, 2010

    This is the most ridiculous law I’ve ever heard about.

  27. only
    January 25, 2010

    Another example of a law that needs to be repealed rather than enforced. The rest of the world wears camo without any ban so why can’t Dom?
    I know the rational that the police probably have of being able to identify their own by the way that they are dressed but then again people should have the freedom to wear what they want as long as it doesn’t cause a problem, ot that camo is my favorite type of dress.

  28. Clement Joseph
    January 25, 2010

    Just some information to Inspr. Weekes and the rest of the Police Force. Be informed that in accordance with the Military Uniform Prohibition Act, Chap 10:10., the act does not give anyone, not the Commissioner of Police, nor the Minister of National Security the authority to grant permission to anyone outside those listed below in section 3, the permission to wear the military uniform. Anyone who has a military uniform band come carnival would be in contravention of the law and should the commissioner of police grant that permission, he too would have aided in the breach of the law. Section 4 of the Act says that it is an offence to sell, advertise for sale, buy or import military except on the order of the Minister (National Security). It is plain that the act does not even allow the Minister to make sub-regulations. It is therefore clear, that the Act does not allow anyone to grant or receive permission to wear the Military Uniform. So, the only persons that could freely wear the uniform without interference are police officers, members of the Armed Forces of police force of a friendly country, or Special Constables who are on their way to or from work (section 3)

  29. snipes
    January 25, 2010

    how would it look if someone dressed up in como searches u or did something to u a d line of police wok only to find out that person in not a cop.. plp open all u little minds these thing r done to protect u and d cop doing their work… get real..how many plp have u seen with d u s military uni on them? non..

  30. james
    January 25, 2010

    How a country can be backward so boi ? lol

  31. texan
    January 25, 2010

    …. wat wearing a camouflage have to do with the law. how is it gonna affect your duties as police officers. not a matter of comparing but in other countries where these rules should be applied they are not even doing it. …, all they can do is walk with a ..gun in their hands to show off. that is all. cannot even solve a littl crimes.. a little country with just 60,000 u have fair of wat may happen if they wear camouflage…….god!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we shall and will remain 3rd world with our small minds.

  32. Chawe
    January 25, 2010

    ummm………….but dem camouflage dem people wearing is not d same thing dem police officers wearing….For example, does a police woman wear a bikini top camouflage??? Dat is pure crap!!! People should wear what dey want!!! Well d camouflage dress i have there i will use it to sleep in my bed!!! Hahaha

    But wait awhile, if we should not wear it y are they sellin it in stores??? Especially dem chinese stores!!!

  33. boss
    January 25, 2010

    JBC U…THAT LAW IS ONE STUPID LAW DEM POPO THINK IS THEY ALONE TO WEAR COMO ALL OVER DE WOLR PPL HAVE COMO LIKE IS NOTHING DEM.. POPO DA WANT TO SAY BOUT NO COMO NONE SENCE MAN ..

  34. my God
    January 25, 2010

    this is just plain stupid. i’m ashamed to be a dominican.this is embarrasing. please an’t you people spend time on somthing more important than telling individuals what they should wear. oh my god i can’t believe this. stuuuuuuuuuupiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid backward nation.

  35. shay
    January 25, 2010

    NONESENCE! wat d hell camoflage going to do somebody? ppl like to dress up in there jouvert outfit so wat wrong in dat? stups……police in DA beleive camo is so much they alone want to wear it. every where u go ppl wearing camo is in DA alone they find a problem with it? stups. time alu start looking for more serious issues than the color of a .. cloth.

  36. lookscene
    January 25, 2010

    that law aint going no where..Dominicans head hard we will always saty in the old times

  37. Mabouche
    January 25, 2010

    Thats the most ridiculous ”law” i’ve come across and people need to voice their opinion to change that crap !

  38. Interesting
    January 25, 2010

    in this day and age, people are not allowed to wear what they want. Camo is not a thing only for the police force in DA. alll over the world people wearing camo, and in DA I can’t. That should be removed from the laws man. I can understand that for police uniform, but not for Camo.

  39. January 25, 2010

    Boy Ooooo Boy what an important LAW everyone has to OBEY
    If Only other law could be obey as this one. wearing of seat belts , BOTH HEAD LIGHTS WORKING AT NIGHTS, NOT parking in dangerous place on KEEP Clears signs. Exhaust from cars blowing smoke indicators not working or not being used , BIKERS overtaking cars on both sides Cars,trucks very large lorries over taking under the canefield cliff .. These are some laws which are being broken everyday with LIVES at RISK. SOME PEOPLE ARE TEXTING WHILE DRIVING
    LET THE POLICE DO SOMETHING WHICH COULD RESULT IN SAVING A LIFE
    WEARING AMY WEAR ON THE STREET FOR ONE DAY COME ON GET REAL GET IN THE REAL WORLD.

  40. Yah
    January 25, 2010

    lol dat you like wii, buy your own Sh**

  41. wow
    January 25, 2010

    its time for this ..to be over with, wearing one peice of carmo on you is not doing any thing to any body, you guys need to find better things to look for in the carnival like the guns.

  42. Mouth of Pointe Michel
    January 25, 2010

    Oh my thats not fair. And my boyfriend just ordered a real cute camo out fit for me. What am I gonna do with it. Shoot. But boo you of all people should have known better ur a cop LOL LOL well I’ll still take my chance and wear it because it cost some real bucks.

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