Dominica’s top cop Cyril Carette is warning would be offenders and “troublemakers” that the police will be on the lookout for them during the carnival celebrations and will take “a zero tolerance” approach to dealing with bad behavior.
While agreeing that over the past years the two day street jump-up by revelers has been rather peaceful, Commissioner Carrette says the police will closely monitor the situation this year.
“As we approach carnival we are urging persons to be more peaceful and civilized with each other, we will have major police presence,” the Commissioner told Dominica News Online.
“Over the past years it has been peaceful, and also having meetings with the band leaders who are helping us also is a major factor. We have zero tolerance…..when you are arrested during the carnival time you won’t get out until after the carnival,” Carette warned.
Commenting on another carnival-related matter, the police chief dismissed suggestions that the police are under pressure and are concerned about the lyrical content of the songs of police officers Sye and Checko.
“I have no issue and or problems with the lyrical content of song of Sye and Checko. They are human beings and are seeing what is happening in the community and so have decided to put them in song so I have no problems with that,” he said.
Regarding efforts to provide greater security, Carrette says he supports calls for the implementation of Close Circuit Television (CCTV) on the streets of Roseau and Portsmouth to help solve major crimes committed.
“CCTV is one that is needed to be looked at since it helps law enforcement officers solve crimes,” he said.
“ Eventually we will have to go that way and I can tell you that there is an initiative by government to have it installed in all government buildings. As it relates to the City I am fully in support of that move despite the difficult terrain that is in Dominica,” Carette remarked.
CCTV, hmmmmm..Not against it, just think dominican police force requires gross modernisation. Equipment, uniforms, training, human resources development on a whole isone of the issues hampering police in Dominica.. Need help investigating gun crime. DNA, GSR and other tools that have proven effective in other jurisdictions.
If photographic evidence is not admissible in the courts of Dominica, what’s the purpose of the cameras we see in the picture?
If there was no law in Dominica permitting to photographic evidence therefore it could not be admitted in court at the time when the culprit was photographed stabbing his victim; and when the picture was presented in Court some smart mouth lawyer told the court that such evidence is not admissible, and the magistrate agreed!
Thus the criminal, who has a name as one of the members of the Dominica judiciary was allowed to walk unpunished, if since then no law was tabled to make photographic evidence legal, why does Carret believe the installed cameras will deter crime, when the criminals know that even if they are caught on camera committing a crime it will have no effect on their case in court!
How much more comically can our people get?
I would hope that my opinion here will not be censored, and to safe guard against that; this message will also be submitted in another Dominica forum also!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
Thanks Francisco, you made good sense of this. He needs to look into the leglistative end of this to get new laws on the books.
I hope that they have legislation in place to back up the use of cctv in court.Remember the murder case of the Alleyne boy ,although caught live on sat tv.He got away with murder!We have not forgotten.
LUCK DEM UP I SAY………IF IS BAD DEY WANT TO PLAY BAD….
one set they does see but dis year is anothr year yea….
i doe fraid….negativity will still occur…
It seems it is only during Carnival time the police seems to talk about zero tolarance; that is code word for beating and brutalizing people.
can we get some policemen to patrol batibou beach. and the village of calibishie. it is the BEST tourist destination in dominica. the government knows that but still do not improve and develop the village.i spoke to a few of the tourists in the village that are on vacation and those that have plans to live in dominica and they told me that they are scared. i guest as usual when things get really bad and all the tourists decide to go back to their country or chose another destination because of crime then the government will be reactive rather than proactive.
Carrette, what about the GON Emmanuel case? Should it not have been a zero tolerance as well?
Heheheheh I wonder who they realy gonna be watching on there cctv . Roseau having so much things happening on canival day . When u put cctv u gonna disterb the pow pow from there jobs . There eyes gonna be on girls how there shorts fitting watching how de coco shape u think is crime that on them man head at that time . Jahhh.
WELL ALL U DOMINCICANS NOT EASY…THOSE OF US WHO LIVE IN THE STATES, DURING OUR CARNIVAL TIME…HOUSTON FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE NEVER HAD A VIOLENT INCIDENT, YET ONCE THE ACTION IS OVER, THE POLICE IN HOUSTON TREAT US LIKE DOGS TO GET OUT OF THE PARK/ THE ONLY THING THEY HAVENT DONE YET IS PUT WATER HOSE ON US,.. AND DOMINICANS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE CHIEF OF POLICE REQUESTING A PEACEFUL CARNIVAL…WEY PAPA WHAT IS HAPPENING TO US? EH!!!
I’ll be at home chillaxing, getting well rested for work on ash wednesday.
I am a carnival fan but my instincts telling me to let that one go by wii….hmmmph
Listen to your heart.
Zero tolerance meaning I’m going to shove women to the ground and beat up prisoners in custody. Dominicans the only way to hold these policemen accountable is to make sure all you film everything. Walk with your video recorders! Its want thing to arrests but its another to abuse people.
There is a strategy used in the metro-countries which is called ‘APB’ an ALL POINTS BULLETIN’ which simply means when a crime is committed and the suspects are on the run all strategic points are alerted; does the police use that method. I doubt very much; for it has happened in Dominica many times before that a vehicle used to carry out a crime in one part certain part of the island is the same vehicle used to carry out a similar crime in another part of the island. What I heard on the news is very disturbing if it is in fact true. The vehicle that was allegged to have been stolen from the visitors in Calisbishie is the same vehicle is suspected was used for the Western Union crime on Wednesday in Roseau. If that allegation is true that would suggest that the occupants drove in that vehicle undetected all the way from the North to the South to carry out the crime and no one picked it up. According to my knowledge there were no roads blocks, no searches, no spot checks carry on Tuesday or Wednesday morning( like the police normally do for drivers license and insurance), there was absolutely no police presence in strategic areas and points in order to find a lead to the crime in the North. Similar crimes of that nature has happened many times before, and again I have not seen any proactive move by the police to detect the criminals. They come to the scene they take statements, pictures and they tell the victims we will get back to you. Sometimes they never do. Although in the Western Union robbery they seem to have acted very efficiently that appears not to be the norm. Another issue I have is the wearing of military uniforms by the public. The military fatique/dress is supposely designated to be wored only by authorized persons in law enforcement – yet still it is not uncommon to see all and sundry wearing it; bikers, guys on scooters with dark shades and sometimes their faces half covered etc -I have witness that in Roseau and some of the country areas even at some public functions, fetes etc etc. so it is not surprising to hear on the news that the criminals were dressed in military type uniform, so where is the zero tolerance or is it a reactionary tactic or only for carnival and festive times. The police needs to be more proactive, more asertive and go out there and look for the criminals rather than seat and wait for crimes to happen. An occassional road block and spot checks not only by the traffic division but with all divisions combined. In fact I HOPE TO SEE IT STARTING FROM THIS WEEKEND – DO RANDOM SEARCH TO VEHICLES AND THEIR OCCUPANTS LETS GET THE BALL ROLLING AND STOP THOSE IDIOTS IN THEIR TRACKS BEFORE IT IS TO LATE.- it is being done in other countries. I witnessed vehicles being stopped and searched in Trinidad; I have also seen it done in Grenada, and Saint Lucia – so lets get cracking the criminals will never know when they are going to be searched so they will be more apprehensive to attempt anything.
Agree 100% we should not only have a Police force but “a force to be reconed with”. In our society today and the manner in which some people behave in my opinion Laws should be enacted to deal with the level of crimes and antisocial behaviour protecting our law abding people should be our first piority. Our approach to crime fighting is so timid and out dated it will take a long time to catch up hence giving the bad guys the advantage over our hard working men and woman. Some of those changes can be immidiate and do not cost lots of money like when will we beging to have “decoys”? like under cover cops wearing Dreads,our police wemen dress like those who look to sell their body for money, to put it simple lots of different aproach we can implement. It takes a thief to catch a thief. What are we wating For?. Sometimes I wonder what the hell we are waiting before we all wake up and realized our lovely country is quickly being taken over by a few bad eggs and they should be stop right NOW! NO EXCEPTIONS!
Read well my good people “I have no issue and or problems with the lyrical content of song of Sye and Checko. They are human beings and are seeing what is happening in the community and so have decided to put them in song so I have no problems with that,” he said.
Carrette has no problem with the calypso – but the report indicates the police are under pressure
Tell us Mr. Carrette – exactly who is pressuring you and the police?
CCTV to protect businesses on their premises but on the streets for what? You all are not surrendering to becoming a police state right? WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE DRINKING/SMOKING IN DOMINICA or is it the AIR? Let me get a gasmask.
sorry but great to hear that the commissioneer saying we got to go that route eventually..cctv. On the street poles too. Those hight tecc CCTv cnat pick up the criminal in the dark on the street . On wen one is stave in a carival band or street jam cctv with record the crime…
LA, LA, where are you living? hope its not under a rock. That sort of approach is called keeping with the trends and dealing with our problems with todays socity you cannot show up at a gun fight with a “stick:.Wake up my brother or sister have you travel out side of Dominica lately? Enough said.Living in the real World.
Hope they crackdown on those idiots that race through Roseau streets on Motorcycles during carnival days
mr.carette bring the fugitive to justice that bombed the magistrate home tell tony and skerro you need to do your job.
o government buildings to watch the thieves thats robbing the country.get it together carette the need to be installed on the streets.what world are you leaving in.cctv solves most all the crimes in the usa.
all those offenders should be locked an a container until after ash Wednesday.. they just some useless beings and doesn’t deserve to be among people.
my people it’s MOTS again…. remember i told you all i had the assumption that such crimes were ‘organised’ to cause fear n hysteria in the nation??? honestly do you think you need cameras in roseau and possie… think deep about that… my people gov’t’s around the world esp. those controlled by the bourgeoisie are getting ready to wage war on citizens because they have stolen plenty and realise that a day is coming when we the zenfants malaway going to say enough is enough… we don’t need no cameras… high day robbery since last year and no suspects??? does this make sense… i smell a rat…. but i have to set the trap….
Thats a good start, i hope the business community [ie] merchant exctra, install cameras at there place of business, those cameras are not expencieve.
Good Job Mr. Carette
its not implemented yet but persons comment about how easily they can be destroyed…yesss i.foo dogs would do a better job dey are in concrete.
MR CARRETTE I AGREE 1OO% BUT WHAT ABOUT ZERO TOLERANCE ON CRIME AGAINST FOREIGNERS. ESPECIALLY IN THE CALIBISHIE AREA WHICH ARE PERPETRATED BY PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE? DESTROYING OUR TOURISM INDUSTRY. DO SOMETHING!!!!! OH MY G!!!!
“they are seeing what’s happening and are singing about it”
Wow Carrete…WOW…is that indirect admittance re: the GON Emmanuel Issue?
why zero tolerance only at fete season and not 24/7 all year round eh!!!!! prevention and detection is your motto, remember?
@Aye
Zero Tolerance cannot be implemented year round since this will equate us to a police state. Deviancy can be tolerated on a lower level in our daily lives but such freedoms MUST be taken away on certain occasions where if permitted it can easily get out of control and impose serious consequencies on society on a whole…………..consider yourself apprised and I will send you a bill for the free education in law!
ok shameless u may have a point. tolernce will have to go with the nature of wats takin place. but them policemen during festive time should not be drinking and jumpin up in band for example last year jouvert de police had a jouvert band. i dunk de police drunk wats going to happen.
So what if it becomes a Police state? If you are not a criminal and also not criminally minded this would/should not worry you,eh! Am not hearing you…speak a little louder.You are such a smart
i thought the same thing and also carrettes’ zero tolerance speech for the season is a bit earlier than expected. it is only because of yesterdays events he speaking on zero tolerance for the carnival which is said every year anyways. LACK OF POLICE PRESENCE IN THE CITY IS A MAJOR PROBLEM CAUSING THESE CRIMES.
@ aye You just asked “so what if we become a police state? If you are not a criminal and also not criminally minded this would/should not worry you,eh!”
We are a passive people and handing over our freedom on a platter. IS YOUR WINDOW EVEN OPENED?
I am tempted to say I give up – kindly readu p on police state and what it means and how it would affect you NOT only criminals are affected.
We need to WATCH WHAT WE SAY
GOOD WORK MOVE ON.
I hpe they wont get broken by mischievous people concealing their identity….cause it will be expensive to replace them too often…..I’m thinking if fellars can get away with robbing stores during the day in little Dominica….destroying these camera will be a peice of cake……
The streets are usually empty after 2am….so climbing these polls to get to the cameras…can be done with ease
while that may b true..i would assume that they are placed high enough and also wile u busy tryina break one camera another has caught u doin it
i just really hope that it works out and that it will be a step closer in curbing this crime situation. in as much as it is a national cry now, alot of preparations will be done
dats good but dats gonna make them police more lazy than they already are…..