President of the Police Service Social and Welfare Association, Insp Michael Seales, has called again for not only the full implementation of body cameras for officers but dashboard cameras as well.
His call comes after the latest incident in which police officers were accused of killing Enterprise, Chaguanas, resident Anton “Bready” Mitchell, 25.
Mitchell was allegedly killed after he opened fire on police officers who went to his house to arrest him. However, residents staged fiery protests yesterday, saying he was murdered by the officers who went to his house.
None of the officers involved in the exercise had on body cameras, although the Central Division was chosen as the pilot project for the new equipment.
Seales said providing such footage may be the only way the public could have had an unbiased view of what took place.
“I understand that the availability of the cameras is a big issue but this could dispel any allegations of misconduct.
“I can understand the frustration of residents. The confrontation between the public and police have reached violent and to safeguard the police the body cameras is needed,” Seales told the T&T Guardian in a telephone interview.
Asked how long the division was supposed to undergo the pilot project, Seales said that was a question best posed to acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams.
However, attempts to contact Williams on the issue were unsuccessful as he did not answer his cell nor did he respond to texts and WhatsApp messages.
The police account of the shooting is vastly different to that of residents, with the only common factor being that police bullets killed Mitchell.
Police said they went to Mitchell's home at Walter Lane, Enterprise, with a search warrant for guns and ammunition around 5.15 am. They said shortly after alerting Mitchell of their presence they were fired upon, returned fire and he was injured. He died on arrival at the Chaguanas Health Facility.
But residents took the T&T Guardian to the scene of the shooting and explained how the police account of the events were slightly skewed. They showed Mitchell’s white PVC door which was not forced open or damaged in any way. The door, they demonstrated, opened outwardly, indicating Mitchell would have had to open it for the officers to enter. The residents claimed if he had shot at them he would have done so as soon as he opened the door and there would have been bullet holes in front his door. There were none.
At the scene of the shooting, Mitchell's friend, Avinash Seepersad, said Mitchell was one of the men who confronted Williams at a town meeting the night before and told him of alleged corrupt police officers who needed to be removed from the division and the Police Service. Seepersad suggested that was the motive behind Mitchell's death.
Seepersad said: “Mr Stephen Williams, yuh come here last night and we explain to you who is the criminals. You know who is the criminals. We don’t have to explain to you again who is the criminals.
“These men who running the Chaguanas Police Station, they trying to make you look bad Mr Stephen Williams. So is either we and you come together... we the people in the community and you coming together to get rid of these crooked police in the community. That is what we have to do.
“They only killing we out, watch what they do, they come in the man house and kill him.”
Mitchell was shot four times in the chest, with the bullets exiting the back. His death was almost instant and he had no defensive wounds, his autopsy stated yesterday. His hands were swabbed for gunpowder residue to confirm if he fired a weapon prior to his death.