Another Innocent Victim Of A Barbados Police Shooting Points To Bullet Entry Scar
Another Innocent Shot By Police – No Compensation For Victim, No Public Inquiry, No Explanation
There are three truths revealed in the story of Kim Joseph, the 17 year old girl who was “accidentally” shot in the head by a Royal Barbados Police Force officer nine years ago.
The first truth is that Barbados police officers have proven time and time again that they are fast and reckless in their use of deadly force, and that our police generally lack the proper training, skill and judgment necessary to use firearms effectively and safely.
The second truth is that successive governments, the police and the courts generally put so little importance upon the rights of citizens, ethical behaviour and natural justice that ordinary people have zero recourse in our society if they are mistreated by government. For the innocent victim of a police shooting to have to wait for “justice” for nine or twelve years is simply more abuse at the hands of the powerful cabal of elites who control this country.
The third truth is that there is never any accountability in our society for wrongdoing by government officials, police or other powerful people. The Barbados news media has generally been complicit in enabling the police, government and other powerful organisations and individuals to avoid accountability. The ongoing silence and willful blindness of our news media to ongoing human rights violations and injustices in our country is their shame.
There has never been any critical, in depth look by the island news media into the numerous incidents of reckless shootings and other wrong-doing by the Royal Barbados Police Force.
The news media has remained silent about the failure of government to make the police into a modern, publicly accountable law enforcement organisation that respects the rule of law and citizens’ rights.
In free and democratic countries, responsible news media leads the way in holding police and government accountable to the people. Sadly, the Barbados News media traditionally jumps into bed with the government of the day in a quest for advertising revenue – as evidenced by the dramatic change in media support from the BLP to the DLP since the last election.
Further Reading
Nation News: Bullet To Head But No Money
BFP…
Suspicious Death Brings World Attention Upon Royal Barbados Police Force
Nation News Finally Discovers That Barbados Police Don’t Give A Damn About Rule Of Law
COVER-UP: Royal Barbados Police Force Ignores Violent Threats To Businessman
Barbados Police Continue To Cover-Up Threats Against Adrian Loveridge, Court Witnesses, Bloggers
Barbados Free Press 
Where is TONY HALL?
is this the free hand you want Bajans to give the maggots in the Royal Barbados Police Force?
Absolutely no accountability.
And we want to be “first World”?
House cleaning needs to take place within the Royal Barbados Police Force starting top-down, ASAP — LONG OVERDUE!! Until such drastic measures are taken the citizens will continue to see the same shi** different day stinking up the island.
Check this story and video out to see how justice is done in the real.
world.http://www.wyff4.com/news/17136655/detail.html#-
Is there a list of police shootings? Does anyone keep track of who is shot under what circumstances? Does anyone care?
One would expect the press would have a running file on all police shootings, woudn’t they?
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Anon,
This was an accidental shooting. These things happen all over the world when the police are involved in shootings. The matter being dealt with here is the length of time that has elapsed and that there has been no resolution as far as compensation is concerned.
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BFP says,
What were the circumstances of the shooting? What was the officer’s training? Under what rules for use of force, and drawing his weapon was he operating? Did the officer cock his revolver when he should not have? How much shoot/don’t shoot training had he had? Had the officer a record of rash actions or poor judgment?
Since this “accidental” shooting, there have been other similar shootings. What has been done to address the pattern of reckless “accidents” as you call them?
All valid questions that would be asked and answered if our police force was accountable to proper civilian oversight.
Your useless excuses are unacceptable.
@Red Lake Lassie…
Your above makes the presupposition that the “press” here have a desire beyond simply selling advertising space…
BFP,
Your opinion. You should seek an audience with the Commissioner of Police. Maybe he would give you the information you need.
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BFP says
bullshit. The Commissioner of Police should seek an audience with the citizens of Barbados. Every day.. by ensuring that his organisation is professional and accountable to civilian oversight.
Transparency is not citizens begging for scraps of information from a police force that considers itself above the citizens rather than as servants to the rule of law.
You haven’t got a clue how professional policing organisations operate in a free and democratic society Tony. Not a bloody clue.
To have a first world police force we need to attract talent through good pay and conditions and we need to train them well. We are probably failing on these two fronts. I hope the government has plans to make a real difference in this area.
At the same time we need to make these police men and women accountable for their actions, with more accountability the more serious the issue, the most serious of all being a death at the hands of a law enforcement officer.
We need an effective, truly independent, police complaints authority – clearly given this case and others. This is more vital than people realise. If we cannot trust our policemen, at a time of a deteriorating economic background, law and order will break down.
To ensure real independence and no interference by friends, relatives or politicians, we should bite the patriotic bullet and enter some arrangement with a network of overseas police forces where they investigate complaints against our force and we investigate complaints against theirs.
This case is very sad and my heart goes out to the family. It is a real pity that this happens in Barbados – it shames all of us. BFP – please do not give up this campaign.
If accountability and transparency was engrained in every day actions by every citizen, teacher, police officer, lawyer, judge, doctor, journalist etc. demanding that fairness and justice be done for all citizens, then having to go cap in hand begging the police for information they should be entitled to 24/7 wouldn’t be necessary. They would already have it and the wheels of justice would have been set in motion if infact the matter was not already resolved.
David where is our ITAL legislation???
BFP,
I guess not
the problem is they recruit police officers that are very young, they go off to police academy and learn how to take down and shoot people, they dont learn them about how to approach people in the public, they don’t take any psychology courses and other courses that will help them in the field. These officers think it is real funny to have a gun and shoot people when they ran off or disobey them. They they get hired in the force and the disarray starts, which is they don’t want to be bothered about helping the ordinary person on the street. Better training should be enforced at the police academy about being more personable and most of all carry out and complete their tasks, just don’t sit in the police station and take matters for granted.Their jobs should be rated and reviewed yearly, more than two or three complaints from an officer, he should be looking for another job.
Nanci,
You made some good points but the force does not attract persons like years ago because the pay is inadequate and working conditions are still not up to par. I am hoping that this gov’t will keep its promise and look after the police because the previous one didn’t think they were “special.” The course study at the Training School needs to be diversified and that will probably develop a better recruit.
I read with interest what is being said and I would have to agree with the assessments of Tony Hall and Nanci. I would also like to add that a quick check with the Police Academy or their training unit would reveal that they have in the last 18 years or so instituted stuff like physcology and interpersonal relations into the training programme.
I have kept a small file of cases in which citizens have been killed or otherwise mistreated by the Police. Some of it reads like a Nazi torture file. It is incredible to think these things are happening in this little island. And no one – yes no one has ever been held accountable for any of these abuses!!
But the striking feature of it all is the silence. The guardians of the society – the Press, the Church leaders and the social icons who are so quick to pontificate on all of the moral failings of citizens will not be heard on these issues. It’s a conspiracy of silence.
Church Mouse,
It would be interesting if you shared your file with bloggers to let us see what was the resolution of these cases. I do not want to put you in a compromising position but I hope you can.
Ha ha ha haaaa….
First World indeed!
We worse than Africa dude! We Third World to the Nth power!
If you want a better life for yourself…VACATE THIS GHOST TOWN!
this is a load of bull the police make assumsions and shoot the wrong people and they expect us the comunity to just exept this well NO how would you feel if if was your mum or dad or even nan that got shot because the police suspected to be carying a bomb i think the police should actualy investigate the person insted of just being trigger happy THEY NEED TO SORT IT OUT !!!!!!!!!!!
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If I am correct,is it not the job of any police office to do the best of his ability,and by doing that,is to make sure every innocent person in any community is kept safe at all times?
Well that was not the case on October 1st,1999 in vine street, the city. In fact, the only one that was hurt,was that innocent by-stander,in which there were put in place to protect.
No justice was done on that night. Even up to almost ten years after, there is still no justice.
There is only pain and suffering.
No man should take credit for God’s work. The fact remains,he could have taken my life, if not for the grace of God. He had no control over that bullet. But if I may say,he had control over that gun.
First mistake,never to assume,especially in a life and death situation like this.
Having a job like that your judgement should most probably be 100%.Your actions can not be taken back.
On October 1st,1999.Whilst walking my crying baby cousin,I saw a man run and crouch down at the side of a house on wellington street,the city. Shortly after, I heard only the running of feet.NO voices,no one saying stop or even identifying his self as a police officer. That would have been great if he had done that.Atleast,I would have the chance to acknowledge something was happening before coming face to face with that policeman’s bullet.
At that time, only one shot was discharge and I saw the fire from that policeman’s gun.After I had fallen to the ground,still clenching my baby cousin,I heard another shot.It’s only when I was being rushed to the hospital,that I was more aware of what happened.
The men in the car was bickering at each other.And I heard one say to the other,”you about the place shooting wild and gone and shoot the girl.”
Everyone knows Nelson Street is a high traffic area. These roads are never empty. I don’t know what type of training they give you guys in the force,but it is hard to believe that you would be running with a loaded gun in any community having the safety off or even with your finger on the trigger. In everything you do,you always cater for error.That is what the safety was for.
I THINK THAT IS NEGLIGENCE. I AM CALLING ON THE WORLD OUT THERE.
I NEED HELP PLEASE.
At that
I am sure that the police officer didn’t intentionally shoot the individual with malice, mistake do happen irrespective of how careful we are, or how we prepare. It still doesn’t excuse the police officer of the responsibility of injuring another human being, he should be held responsible for his negligence.
Mistakes happen Mr. Fenty. Sure they do.
But when serious mistakes happen that result in the shooting of an innocent passerby there should be a public process to examine the action, the training and leadership provided to the officer so that it doesn’t happen again. It should be a transparent process conducted by an independent body – not the police themselves.
We have trouble with that kind of accountability in Barbados.
There have been several or many people wrongfully shot by the Barbados Police and we have never seen any action, report or discipline resulting from any such wrongful shooting.
Bajan citizens deserve much better.
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