Police investigate verbal abuse, violence claim in viral recordings

A man claiming verbal abuse and violence at the hands of a female police officer is to take legal action, and the viral video and audio recordings that captured part of the fracas are now the focus of a Barbados Police Service investigation of professional misconduct.

The lawyer for the man, who was being held by police during the altercation in which the officer appeared to admit to kicking and punching him and threatened more violence while hurling waves of obscenities, said on Monday that her client has sought treatment for his injuries and has “instructed that we take legal action against a female officer who was involved in this incident”.

“I can confirm that my client had to seek medical attention for injuries that he received,” attorney-at-law Shadia Simpson told Barbados TODAY.

Attorney-at-law Shadia Simpson.

“We are calling on the powers that be to fully investigate the matter and to take the necessary action. Law enforcement officers in Barbados cannot be seen as above the law. They need to operate within the boundaries of the law and when they don’t, they need to be held accountable. We are seeking justice for my client. This type of behaviour and unprofessionalism should not be tolerated anywhere in the Barbados Police Service.

Police Communications and Public Affairs Officer Inspector Rodney Inniss said in a statement that over the past 24 hours, the Police Service had become aware of a social media posting that seemed to portray one of their own behaving in an unprofessional manner.

“The Police Service as a professional organisation, frowns on such behaviour,” he said. “As a consequence, the Police Service has appointed a senior officer to investigate this matter.”

Among the postings which have gone viral on social media is a video recording in which a female voice is heard off-camera while a uniformed officer holds an apparent suspect who is handcuffed and making claims of being kicked and punched.

The man, sporting plaited hair and wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans with patches at the knees, is seen and heard accusing the female of being wicked and of cuffing him in his face. The woman in response is heard to say: “I kick yuh in yuh belly too…you understand. I kick yuh ‘bout too. Yuh f****** nuisance.”

The woman is also heard to describe the man as “black and ugly” and “scruffy”.

In another recording – this time audio – that seems to have been taken in a moving patrol car amid the loud hail of a siren, the same voice hurls threats of violence and expletives:

“I gine f**** you up. Wait till we get at the r*** h*** station. I going to f*** you up. I going to burst your face,” the individual said.

As a heated verbal exchange developed between the man and woman, the man is heard to declare: “Tek these [apparently handcuffs] off, leh me show you den.” 

The woman quickly retorted: “You gine show me. You gine hit a policewoman. A c*** like you?”

The audio recording ends with the woman giving instructions to “tek he outta dey”, once the parties had seemingly reached their destination.

The recordings which were circulating widely on social media evoked outrage from members of the public who called for action to be taken against the female police officer.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb