‘We’re dealing with corruption allegations!’ - CoP David Morris
![“Our job as police officers is to investigate allegations because we get them every day. Someone comes in and alleges a burglary, our job is to investigate that burglary, check to make sure they have been burgled and then get the get the evidence. The same applies to Police Officers, we have allegations, we are investigating those allegations, when we feel we have sufficient [evidence] we submit that to the Director of Public Prosecutions, which makes the decision whether we have sufficient evidence to prosecute people successfully and is in the public interest to do so,” said Commissioner of Police David Morris. Photo: VINO/File](https://www.virginislandsnewsonline.com/cache/images/800x_3_350x_8_800x_800x_Road_Town_Police_Station_01_02.jpg)
He was a guest of talk show host and commentator Donald E. De Castro on the show 'Straight Talk', on ZBVI 780 AM last night September 3, 2014 at 8:00 pm.
“First I can’t comment too much because there is an investigation ongoing and as a consequence of that investigation a number of officers have been put on compulsory leave or administrative leave while we seek their interdiction through the Police Service Commission and the Governor,” he said.
“That’s the current situation we’re in…we have allegations of corruption or serious criminality and they are allegations. People need to be aware…we have allegations, we have information, we don’t have anything written down on witness paper or anything like that. What we’re dealing with here are allegations,” Morris stressed.
“Our job as police officers is to investigate allegations because we get them every day. Someone comes in and alleges a burglary, our job is to investigate that burglary, check to make sure they have been burgled and then get the get the evidence,” he said.
“The same applies to Police Officers, we have allegations, we are investigating those allegations, when we feel we have sufficient [evidence] we submit that to the Director of Public Prosecutions, which makes the decision whether we have sufficient evidence to prosecute people successfully and is in the public interest to do so,” said Commissioner Morris.
“People forget that the Police don’t prosecute people. We would charge people based on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) who has the role to prosecute people,” he said. “We are investigating these allegations in relation to corruption and we are moving forward on it,” he said.
“What I would say to the public out there is that Police Officers are not above the law, we all have to comply with the law,” he said.
“I said when I first came here that I wouldn’t tolerate Police Officers who commit crime or are corrupt or who don’t comply with the law, and we have had a very strong position on that,” said Commissioner Morris.
“Every officer that we investigate we send the file to the DPP who then looks at it and advises us as to whether the officer has committed a criminal offence for which he is going to prosecute him, or he refers it back, which he has done, for disciplinary [action] and we deal with it by that means,” said Morris.
The Police Welfare Association submitted a petition on August 28, 2014 to Governor John S. Duncan OBE and copied to Commissioner Morris and the Police Service Commission calling on the Governor to appoint an independent investigator to address alleged corruption within the Police Force. The petition was signed by over 50 percent of the Force.
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20 Responses to “‘We’re dealing with corruption allegations!’ - CoP David Morris”
the dpp for vetting.The dpp then sends back and says prosecute how
do we know the dpp has truly looked at the case,I have seen numerous
cases being prosecuted with out a shred of evidence.I,ve just read an news
story where two brothers being locked up for thirty years for something hey
did not do because so prosecutor wanted his ego satisfied he prosecuted
although the evidence did not point to those brothers.
The Police can not investigate in a vacuum and the petty corruption that takes place within these islands with regard to who knows who, or who related, or resident status has to stop if we are to move forward and rise above.