The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

A VOICE note purportedly capturing the beating of a man in police custody came as no surprise to Christina Galanos, a lawyer who has for years sounded the alarm about brutality in police custody.

Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle said a senior officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation into the alarming recording.

But Ms Galanos said the release of such a recording was inevitable.

“I’m not surprised by it,” she said. “I always felt that one day they would be recorded and that’s what happened. I’m sickened by the fact that it’s still happening. I find it frightening.”

She said the recording calls to mind the frequent allegation that suspects are sometimes beaten in custody for confessions, an allegation that, if true, flies in the face of human rights across the globe.

“When it comes to police brutality in these settings with suspects being questioned, one thing that takes place is the common allegation that confessions are being beaten out of these people,” she said.

“I shudder to think about how many people are guilty because some police officer decided to abuse their rights. This behaviour can often lead to persons confessing crimes that they didn’t commit. The unfairness of having someone rot in prison over something he did not do is the concern for me. The thing with this country is very often there are confessions on file—so you telling me everyone who comes to custody just starts spilling their guts to police? That’s not logical or sensible and this recording sheds light on a common problem.”

Over the years, courts in The Bahamas have thrown out some confessions after determining they were coerced through physical oppression.

The Supreme Court this year will hold a closely watched trial involving three people from Eleuthera who allege that police brutalised them in 2018 for confessions while investigating an armed robbery incident, only to later release them from custody without charge. One of the plaintiffs claims police officers poured hot sauce into his eyes, causing long-term damage.

“I’ve been speaking about this for years,” Ms Galanos said.

“You sometimes have a confession on file, but the beating and intimidation is not on file.

“From the Aaron Rolle ruling a few years ago, the coroner recommended that cameras be placed at strategic spots in police stations, and it seems that has not been done. Even now with the body cameras, officers I’m sure have powers to turn off cameras or not wear them. I don’t think that is assisting the system in any way.”

In 2013, the Coroner’s Court ruled that Aaron Rolle’s death in police custody was unlawful.

Among the coroner’s recommendations was that cameras should be installed at every police station at the entrance to the cell block area and that all interviews with suspects be videotaped.

The coroner also recommended that the cameras be monitored by a separate department at police headquarters or elsewhere.

Today, lawyers say they are not even allowed to keep their phones when meeting clients at CDU.

“If you’re doing what you’re supposed to do, if you’re walking the straight line, what’s the danger of me bringing my phone?” Ms Galanos asked.

“The fact that they prohibit attorneys says they’re concerned about what attorneys will collect, what pictures, what audio. If it’s above board, you’d tell attorneys come on down, we have nothing to hide. All of this lends to an inescapable conclusion: there is a culture of police brutality.

“I wish Bahamians would wake up and condemn it and not wait for their sons and daughters to be in the situation.

“It’s time to outfit stations and CDU with cameras. Every square inch should be covered. You should be able to pull the recording. Recordings should be controlled by someone off site. Right now, it’s like anytime something questionable is done, something isn’t working. One reason I will never prosecute in this country is I can’t do it knowing the culture of the police force is to beat confessions out of people.”