Stephen Burrows has launched a complaint against seven officers after his son, 18-year-old Stephen Burrows Jr, claims he was once again attacked by policemen, while in the company of others. He said around 9:30 Wednesday morning, he dropped his son at his grandmother’s house in the Rock Crusher area and about 20 minutes later, he received the news of about six gunshots being fired at his son.
“I dashed through the corner and I saw three police cars in different locations,” he said. “I saw all of the officers with guns, so I called my son on his phone and he told me he was hiding in the bush because he said he couldn’t run anymore. I got him out of the bush, put him in my vehicle and carried him down to the barracks to make my complaint.”
Mr Burrows said when he got his son from the bushes, he was vomiting, had shortness of breath and seemed to be in severe pain from injuries he allegedly received on December 1, when he claimed he was arrested and beaten for 48-hours by four plain clothes policemen. The doctor’s report showed he had 22 fractured ribs and a busted right eardrum that left him deaf in the right ear.
The officers, Mr Burrows said, were from the Central Detective Unit and were fully dressed in police attire.
“Look like the police force have a renegade gang,” he said. “They are killers. The people in charge are not dealing with this sensitive issue, looks like they want another riot.”
Mr Burrows Jr was unavailable for comment, as he had to leave the island Wednesday afternoon for a doctor’s appointment to undergo surgery.
Chief Superintendent of Police Hulan Hanna said an investigation has been initiated to determine what really happened that morning. He added that the officers could have been conducting a covert operation at the time but he said the police force is taking the complaint “very seriously” and has vowed to get to the bottom of it.
“We take the complaint very seriously and we will exhaust every bit of investigative skill to ensure that this matter is properly dealt with,” he said. “‘We make no assumptions and we take it as something that needs to be investigated vigourously. Wherever officers are found wanting, they will be [called] to account for their behaviour.”
Chief Supt Hanna also said that as preliminary investigations are being conducted, “we can not state if these persons are genuine police officers.” However, he did say it was “rather strange that a person will come in broad daylight and malign a police officer.”
Regarding the December 1 incident, Director of Complaints and Corruption, John Ferguson said investigations into that matter are just about complete and the file is now being reviewed.
By IANTHIA SMITH, Guardian Staff Reporter
