A-G confirms faith in Police, Coroner
ATTORNEY-GENERAL Freundel Stuart says he will not do anything to undermine public confidence in the police force or the coroner.
He said he had “faith” in the Coroner’s Office which would begin its inquest into the death of I’Akobi Maloney on November 10.
Stuart, who was speaking during a $10 million resolution that would go towards some finishing touches for the Judicial Centre on Whitepark Road, made his position clear yesterday in the House of Assembly after the issue of the relationship between the police and the community was raised by the Member of Parliament for St Michael South-East, Hamilton Lashley.
“He [Lashley] adverted to the issue related to the unnatural death of I’Akobi Maloney. I know this issue has preoccupied public attention for sometime but I just want to make it clear that I, as Attorney-General with responsibility for the police and also for the justice system in a manner of speaking, do not intend to be coerced, or dragooned, or intimidated into getting the public of this country to lose confidence in the rectitude of the Royal Barbados Police Force or in the independence of the Office of the Coroner of Barbados,” Stuart said.
He continued: “If I am responsible for these departments it would make no sense if I lent any effort to undermine public confidence in them and therefore I perceive it my responsibility to ensure that the public of this country has as much confidence as possible in the police force of this country and in the courts of this country.”
The Member of Parliament for St Michael South further said that he was not saying that the police “can do what they liked or how they like” but noted it is important that “we try to maintain public confidence in these institutions.”
He advocated setting standards that the law enforcers would be “forced to subscribe but not run around the place trying to ensure that the public has no confidence in them.”
The Minister of Home Affairs said that under the Coroners’ Act, when a natural death occurred it was that person’s responsibility to investigate that death and make a finding.
“I have never in my entire life, following these matters, heard any Barbadian express dissatisfaction with the way in which any coroner including the present coroner, discharged his or her duty.
Maloney died on June 17 and his family is questioning the circumstances under which he died. (DS)
Tags: Attorney-General, confidence, Coroner, Coroner's Act, faith, Freundel Stuart, hamilton lashley, House of Assembly