President Michel must personally step in before it is too late!

Jimmy Marie in hospital after being shot at close range by Police.

Jimmy Marie, 28 yrs old stevedore from Cascade, was confronted by three police officers in plain clothes last week, Wednesday, at the house of his cousin at Petit Paris. Speaking to ‘Le Nouveau Seychelles Weekly’ from his hospital bed at the Victoria Hospital last Sunday, “It was coming up to 9am in the morning”, Jimmy said. A group of three police officers including one Raymond Dubel confronted Jimmy and told him that they, the police, had been looking for him (Jimmy) for the last three months. Jimmy said that he protested to that allegation and told Dubel that he had just come out of prison in August, 2007, and had been here going about his normal daily business and if the police was really looking for him, they could have easily got into contact with him, personally, or through one of his relatives.

According to Jimmy Marie, Dubel and the other officers were standing two to three feet away from him at point blank range. “I was standing there defenseless with nothing in my hand and I was not even trying to get away from them. Dubel suddenly ‘pulled a gun on me’ from under his shirt and shot me in the middle part of my right thigh. I fell to the ground, Dubel pointed the gun to my Knee cap, I screamed and my relatives came running from the house. They saved my life.” Jimmy told LNSW.

Whilst he was lying on the ground, Jimmy asked Dubel why did he shoot him for no apparent reason. According to Jimmy Marie, Police Officer Dubel arrogantly tapped his fingers on his chess and said, “Mwan Dubel sa, mon pou fer sir ki ou pa zamen mars ankor.” (“I am Dubel, I want to make sure that you’ll never walk again.”). This is the kind of beasts with whom we have to deal with on a daily basis, he shoots a human being at point blank range, unarmed, be it a former criminal, in cold blood and still had the nerve to be abundantly arrogant about it. According to Jimmy Marie, he was shot at 9 am; the ambulance that came to fetch him arrived at 10.30 am, all this time 1hr 30mins he laid bleeding on the ground. He was transported to the Victoria Hospital where his injuries were attended to; the bullet shattered the bone in his right thigh.

This is another senseless shooting incident just like the one we reported on only a few weeks back, which happened in the centre of town at the traffic lights; luckily no one was hurt in that particular reckless police shooting. Jimmy Marie was not so lucky; a young man in the pride of his life is now probably handicapped for the rest of his days, he might not be able to walk properly ever again. Again we appeal to the powers that be, President James Alix Michel, to take a serious look at the way and to whom guns are being issued. We quote from our front page article in issue No. 38, dated October 26, 2007, following the ‘Reckless police shootings in Victoria….’:

“It is the responsibility of the President to ensure that persons to whom arms and ammunitions are entrusted do not use it on the civilian population or in a public place in the middle of the day where public safety and security are compromised. It is also the duty of the president, through his Commissioner of Police, to guarantee that people who are entrusted with weapons in the form of firearms in the course of their duties are well trained and can perform and make sound decisions when under stressful and difficult circumstances.”

Once again a police officer has failed to achieve the high standard expected of him when handling a gun; it is another compelling reason to withdraw all weapons, arms and ammunitions from reckless and irresponsible police officers with a track record of “shoot first and ask questions later”. This approach is not one that is good for the image of our little country. President Michel must personally step in before it is too late; we are all counting on him to act decisively before it is too late!!!!