Magistrate Tiyani Behanzin has raised concern over the number of unsolved murders in the Wesley area and the rest of Dominica.
During his sitting at the Roseau Magistrate’s Court yesterday, the magistrate called for more resources to be put into the Dominica Police Force in order for these murders to be solved.
He noted that there are nine unsolved murders in the Wesley areas while there are 17 murder trials ongoing island wide.
“One more which we can’t find the body…” the magistrate added.
Behanzin suggested that some of the funds being put into the court system should be used to upgrade the police force. He said that these resources should be put into modern equipment, training and modernizing crime fighting techniques as well as forensics.
“Some of the resources being put into the court should be put into beefing up the police force…then murders will be solved,” he suggested.
The magistrate is also concerned with the issue of threats, and expressed his belief that police should react with more urgency when a life is threatened.
“When somebody says [I will kill you] he should be arrested!” he asserted.
I AGREE WITH HIM , THOSE PPL SHOULD BE JAILED FOR THREATS,
Magistrate Behanzin says ridiculous things all the time and, unfortunately, Dominicans are too unaware of legal principles to notice.
What kind of criminal law system would arrest someone for the things they say rather than the actions they commit? This is not a tyranny.
..
Lord help us!
Evil is not at the time of action. It is at the time it is conceived in the heart. It is written “if you hate your brother without a cause, you are a murderer.” So someone who is angry at you (sometimes not because of any wrong you have done as is common among us) threatens your life, is this not a crime? I saw a 12 year old boy mention “raping a young lady” who was passing by to his friends. Is it not a crime that he harbors such thoughts. Should we wait until he does so to your little daughter or sister or somebody else’s child to consider it a crime? It is written “the wicked does wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand.” I stood vigil until she was safe and he was offended. I challenged him and his friends and they stayed silent because of my stand. May Yahweh have mercy on us all
“When somebody says [I will kill you] he should be arrested!” he asserted. ????
Are you ..kidding me???? That’s law 101!!!!
Basic criminal law procedural fairness states that you can’t just arrest someone that easily.
This … is absurd…
To Gee. Stop being soo ignorant. The magistrate can say whatever he want’s to thanks to our DEMOCRATIC Country. He is enjoying that freedom while he can because soon there will be no such thing in Dca.
This comment might very well be true…. BUT!!!!!!!
This comment from the “magistrate” is OUT of place. This is a political issue. I think it would be best that the magistrate refrain from making such public comment. That’s why we have opposition parties. Comments like this from a MAGISTRATE should be made in PRIVATE to the PRIME MINISTER. You’re not paid fo your political opinion but you are paid for your legal experties.!! It’s important that we as public servants know and respect our boundries.!!!!
WELL IT IS NOT ALL THE TIME SOMEONE SAY I WILL KILL YOU THEY MEAN IT SOMETIMES IT IS IN A JOKE AND SOMETIME IT IS SERIOUS BUT YOU REALLY HAVE TO KNOW WHEN AND IF THAT PERSON IS SERIOUS AND CHECK FOR THE TONE OF VOICE, IF IT SERIOUS YOU SHOULD ARREST THAT PERSON BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT THEY MIGHT DO, BUT I KNOW SOMETIMES EVEN IF WE SHOULD NOT USE THAT TERM BUT YOU MAY HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO COME OVER TO YOUR HOME AND THEY INSIST THAT THEY WILL BE THERE BUT NEVER SHOW UP WHEN YOU COME ACROSS THAT PERSON ON THE STREET OR IF THAT PERSON COMES TO YOUR HOME THE NEXT DAY YOU MAY SAY IN A JOKE BOY OR GIRL I WILL KILL YOU EH IS SO YOU SAY YOU COMING BY ME AND YOU NEV ER SHOW,YOU KNOW I WOULD NOT ARREST THE PERSON FOR THAT BUT INSTEAD TRY TO ASK THAT PERSON TO TRY NOT TO USE THESE WORDS BECAUSE IT IS NOT GOOD WORDS TO USE.
well when the police try to do what they have to do, and the judges are strict, is you self those wicked dominicans that boling alas poor malaways police brutality……..we must give the poeple the space to work, and stop harbouring the criminals in our beds, under our beds , in our homes. Shame on you sutiwez but when God will giver us our blow I hope we dont cry foul… cause Haiti will be nothing in comparison. Good Job Behanzi and wake up dDominicans and stop the sutiweing
give up the names of the criminals, and beat and hang those that deserve it, and the judges that are lenient,,,,,fire there ..and give we young folks, like Behanzi a break
Charmer i agree with you one hundred percent. Restore capital punishment and save the nation. On the question of the police service, we need to revisit our training manual{ s} Our police training does not reflect our present needs. THIS is the year 2010 not the 1980’s
who is he where is he from ?
WELCOME MR. TIYANI, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT PEOPLE MAY THINK ABOUT YOU, BUT TO ME YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE HIGH COURT JUDGE …
I THINK IF YOU WERE THE JUDGE ALOT OF THE CRIMES THAT IS TAKING PLACE AT PRESENT IT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED, BUT GUEST WHAT?
…
BEFORE TIME WHEN A MAN IS SENTENCED TO THE HIGH COURT HE/SHE AND THEIR FAMILY WOULD BE STUNT UNTIL THE OUT COME OF THE CASE, BUT NOW THEY WILL TELL YOU BLATANT “IS A LITTLE BIT JAIL AH GO TAKE ”
DO SOME THING TO STOP THE CRIME IN THIS COUNTRY OF OURS.
1. weed out bad cops
2. send offices to do forensics
3. change some of the people on the benches who really have overstayed their welcome.
4. let the punishment fit the crime
5. there should be nothing about out for murder. life is life. die in jail.
6. divorce political partisanship from the judicial system.
Rasulfur you better shut your RAS. Stupes
You never have nothing positive to say.
Great Idea Steve!
I like Mr Behanzin
I also like giving an opinion and suggestion to solve the prob
It will soon change when they start retiring those old officers that have some school leaving certificate and now in high position in the force because they been there for donkey years and do not like change.
We need to have a few Police officers with a tertiary level education who are able to handle the modernization and adjust to change..
Forensic is a sience and it requires intense study. We need to think long term. We will need to basically have a force that is highly specialized in certain areas. We talking bout using science to solve problems. Not only the Police need to improve but the prosecuting and the defence attorneys.
They need to be able to make sense of all the results of the investigation, the psychology etc etc. We have the mental capability. Policing needs to be seen as a Profession not just a Job. Off course we going to need those to do the Traffic and the daily foot work but we will need to start thinking out of the box and get more people with technical and scientific skills.
Well I agree that hte police force should be well equipped and the police themselves trained. Also the police are mingling too deeply with the community. As long as they get to a new place they mele with everybody so it is hard for them to deal with the crimes. I’m not saying they cannot befriend the ppl of the community but they have to do it in a professional manner. There is a distance they need to keep; they go to the club or rum shop and do the same thing; get involve in the same thing and so on; So they don’t even get the respect of the pplThery participate in some of the other stuff; they see the ppl doing drugs and will pass by and say nothing. They allow certain things to happen which should not be happening, like noise music in a village at anytime of day and even after hours and say nothing! THEY ARE THERE TO PREVENT THE CRIMES NOT TO ENCOURAGE IT
I have heard guys say, “what can the police do? Nothing.”
Welcome back Karkabeff :-)
@ Steve, I support you fully! It seems the one we have now needs to retire….
Great job Your worship, keep it up!
I so agree with Steve. DPP for Tiyani
If the blue machine was there it would be worst, so what is the big cry? Other persons have spoken about it before, so Tiyani you are not the first to bring it out , the credit is not your. people stop blaming colours for the problems in Dominica. Are you trying to say that in the UWP time there was none of this? LOL
yes man… Is about time something is done, please make the resourses avaiable to the police,
they need proper training, and questioning techinques.
This small island how can we have all those unsolved murders, and plzzzzzzz our people need to stop playing with obeah beleifs, this is ignorance and this needs to stop now
Here is an idea how to spend that money ur honour. How about group of citizens appointed by the justice department to investigate police brutality and corruption (drugs, Leaking of information, Abuse of power)etc?
Thank u Zarzee,been commenting bout this for a while.That is what we need in d/a,police need to be monitored and investigated.We would have a police force instead of having a foolish force if police know they are not above the law.
When young people who are showing up as candidates for the Police Force have as their only recommendation: “My Pal Rep sent me.” …… then one has to ask the question where we are heading.
A very sad state of affairs. criminals have gone high-tech, and unless we have a well trained, disciplined and dedicated cadre of officers, we are heading for a complete breakdown in law and order.
If only we could do a lil spring cleaning in the police force solving a murder in dominica would not even require any high tech equip.Police and the people are too far apart.U cannot solve crime that way.The same guy they arrest for smoking a joint is the same guy that was on the beach late at night and saw something police should know about.An he just decide he aint saying jack because they beat him up for a joint last year.Police have to go out and investigate crimes not wait for someone to come forward with info that is then filtered back to public endangering lives.Mordern equipment or not without internal cleansing it’s going to be the same old story.
Can the Prime minister select this man as the Director of Public Prosecution ?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! please please please…………….
The first thing they have to do is change the mentality of the police officers in Dominica. The some of the Judges and politicians are the biggest problems in Dominica. They need to change some of the laws in da for the Police officers to be effective. And god knows some of the officers on the job needs to be retrained.
Way to go Tiyani.
@ sewonice: knowing whodunit is one thing. having proof beyond a reasonable doubt is a different ball-game.
Happy 2010 your honour. Tell them again. While we updating the equipment in the force let us also get a new deputy and chief that will serve the public and not politicans. Also, purge it of politicians within the ranks that fail to understand that law enforcement and politics must be kept separate. Then and only then will we see results from a well disciplined, trained and efficient police force.
Kudos to the magistrate for having a thought about our criminal justice system. I mean how difficult is it to solve a crime in LIKKLE dominica? By the time a crime is committed everybody and his nenen know whodunnit. Yet the police seem crippled to go after the perpetrators and the word conviction is like a bad word. Something really needs to be done to tighten up the criminal justice system from the bottom up. The island is too small for this lawlessness.
i hope that some more of our magestrates will follow tiyani and be concerned with the issue of crime in da so that all muderers will be brought to justic and i think its also high time that muderers be put to death for their actions. aslong as it is not self defense lets do away with these criminals and save the tax payers some money
hmmmmm. The red machine is in full gear , so what else do you expect?