A BUNCH of thugs and crooks masquerading behind police uniforms at the SSU, backed by the Adams Unit, is fast giving the police force in general a bad name. The group, known for their cruelty and total disregard for the law, last week stopped and savagely attacked a group of 10 youths at Union Vale, in the district of English River, peacefully playing dominos near the volleyball court The youths who were told to kneel down to pray were then asked to repeat after the policemen that “The police are doing a great job.” They were also kicked, punched and insulted throughout the ordeal.
The policemen apparently had a strong stench of alcohol on their breath and were behaving like rogues. They took all the money (pocket money of 100, 80 and 75 rupees) from the boys' pocket and their mobile phones in what appears to be a blatant act of theft. No caution was administered and the boys were not informed of their constitutional rights. They were not even told the reason why the police were taking them to the Central Police station for detention. Apparently there was no arrest as the boys had not done anything wrong.
It appears as if the object of the exercise was to steal the boys' money and mobile phones. The youths have already instructed lawyers to file a case against the police for the atrocious and illegal acts.
One father, who went all the way down to the Adams Unit the next day, said he called the Commissioner of Police to complain and Janet Thelermont was ordered to release his son immediately. He claims that his son had several injuries all over his body and produced a bullet shell which he said came from the guns of the police who were trigger-happy and firing their guns at will. A man who claimed that he witnessed the incident said that he watched everything through the curtains and at one point switched on his lights to deter the police from the savage beatings they were giving one boy in particular. At which point he was told by the police to switch off the lights and mind his own business. Le Nouveau Seychelles Weekly has, on several occasions in the past, published stories of police brutality, torture and even killings to deter such barbaric act of brutality by the police against civilian. Only last week this paper ridiculed the lame attempt by the Commissioner of Police when he organized a workshop discuss basic human rights issues in our constitution.
In yet another incident, another man complained that only last week alone two separate groups of policemen came to his house in plain clothes and claimed to have come to conduct a drug search. They said they did not require a warrant by law since they have come to conduct a drug search. The first group did not find anything but decided to detain the man at the Adams Unit anyway for the sheer pleasure of it. The second group which came the following week was led by Naiken, the President's bodyguard, and a sub inspector Francoise. They said they are the professionals and always come for a second search if the first search party does not find anything. This time around they did not find anything but stole all the money in the house including foreign exchange and some kitchen utensils. No document or proof exists of the money taken as they did not ask the occupants of the house to sign anything.
This situation is becoming increasingly alarming as policemen, especially those at the Adams Unit, are hiding behind police uniform to commit crimes against the civilian population. Acts of theft, assaults and torture are rampant and there is an urgent need to disband this group of police thugs hell-bent on committing organized crimes in this country. In a recent issue Le Nouveau Seychelles Weekly carried an article entitled Seychelles Police Behaving Increasingly Like The Notorious “Tonton Macoute” airing the concern of the public at large over these incidents. As President Michel has declared war on the drug trade, some police officers have used this golden opportunity to steal, torture and shoot at random for their own personal gain. They are thus giving the police as a whole a bad name and the sooner action is taken to rid the police force of these criminal elements, the police will continue to be dogged by negativity and be dubbed an organization not worthy of public trust and confidence.
