Sedi speaks on accused GSU excessive force

Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington

Earlier in the newscast, the Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington spoke on the security meeting in Antigua, Guatemala. Elrington is also the Attorney General so we asked him about a legal battle brewing with Belize City gangs. Recently the Gang Suppression Unit (GSU) of the Police Department was accused of using excessive force on gang members at Taylor’s Alley. Elrington says it is a concern for the government and he says that the GSU has no special or additional powers than those already mandated to regular officers of the Police Department.

Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington, Attorney General

“We are concerned certainly if the police are acting unlawfully and illegally because whenever actions are brought against the government, it’s brought against the name of the Attorney General and it is our ministry that have to mount the defense for the government—whether we hire private attorneys to do it or whether we have attorneys under the solicitor general’s control.  So to that extent, yes we’re concerned that police are acting contrary to the law; to that extent yes.”

Jose Sanchez

“Those people concerned with the GSU  in regards to what powers they do have; can an officer just come and kick down your door because they have a suspicion because it seems like a lot of that is happening across the country and they don’t find anything, you know.”

Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington

“I am a hundred percent sure that the GSU; that’s what they call them, have no greater power than the ordinary police officer. And as far as I know, unless you have reasonable suspicion that that person’s home has drugs or guns or the like, you can’t really go in and search those premises. And I don’t think—personally, I don’t think that the way to do is to go and ram down a person’s door. I think basically you go there with a search warrant in most cases and you read the warrant to the house owners and you ask them to open up and give access there.”