The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

IMMIGRATION Minister Keith Bell said he is hoping that an investigation into a video involving two alleged immigration officers assaulting two Haitian barbers last week will be concluded by next week.

He said once the investigation has ended, officials will be able to determine their next course of action and also speak to how the matter will be addressed.

“The matter is under investigation and hopefully, by next week or so once we hear from police, obviously there is some administrative matters that we’re looking at and I’ll be able to give you a better indication as to how it will be dealt with,” Mr Bell told reporters on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of CARICOM last night.

Recently, a video circulated showing two men wearing immigration officer uniforms slapping and hitting the barbers several times.

At one point, one of the men is seen falling to the ground after being slapped in the head.

The victims have been identified as Gary Philius and Wilfort Senatés, two Haitian nationals who have legal work permits and have been working at Adam’s Barbershop in the Bacardi Road area.

The Tribune spoke to the men earlier this week to get their account of what happened.

According to them, sometime around 11am Saturday, two men wearing immigration officer uniforms came into the barber shop to check the status of their work permits.

However, the alleged officers became physical with the men shortly after entering the barber shop. They said the altercation left them traumatised.

The incident was captured on video and has since gone viral, sparking public outrage.

When asked about how officers ought to conduct themselves, Mr Bell — while refusing to comment specifically on the incident in question — said the right to use force must always be justified.

“I am very proud of immigration officers,” he added. “I think that coming from my background in law enforcement, I know only too well that we have to wait for the full story and there has to be an investigation and certainly, our constitution guarantees the presumption of innocence.

“Well, of course, the right to use force must always be justified and so I will wait for the investigation, and I’ve spoken with the director. I’ve spoken with my permanent secretary and we’re going to wait to see what the police does.”

He also could not say if he was surprised when he watched the video and told reporters “I’ve seen many... things in a number of videos. I don’t wish to comment on it until the investigation is completed.”