By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

POLICE Staff Association chairman Ricardo Walkes says a rise in unfavourable Coroner’s Court rulings has discouraged some officers from carrying out their mandate, adding that he supports equipping police with non-lethal weapons to reduce fatal encounters.

“What it does, in my opinion, is discourage the officers from carrying out their mandate. However, as police officers we have a mandate to carry out, and we do to the best of our abilities every day,” Mr Walkes said after meeting Commissioner of Police Shanta Knowles last month, where he voiced support for alternatives to firearms.

He argued that tasers and other tools could prevent officers from feeling forced to use deadly force, particularly against unarmed but aggressive suspects.

“If we armed our officers with more non-lethal weapons, then that would be an avenue where, well, we won’t have to, or be forced to withdraw and discharge our firearm,” he said.

With proper training, he added, officers would be equipped to make the right judgment call in each circumstance. “I don’t think it would change that much, because once you are trained, when you are properly trained in the use of firearms and non-lethal weapons, then you will know which weapon you would use at any given point actually.”

Mr Walkes pushed back against suggestions that Coroner’s Court has become a problem for police. “I won’t say it’s more rigorous. I mean, it’s a matter of the evidence that’s presented and the way it’s presented, and legal representation,” he said.

Commissioner Knowles confirmed Monday that the force is actively considering non-lethal weapons.

Her comments came days after a Coroner’s Court jury ruled that 27-year-old Dino Bain was unlawfully killed. Bain, who was unarmed, was shot in the back by Reserve Constable Franklyn Armbrister during a December 2023 operation. Jurors returned a “homicide by murder” verdict — the first against an officer since last year.

Body-worn and security camera footage contradicted Armbrister’s claim that Bain was armed. No firearm was found, and medical evidence showed Bain was shot while bent forward. Armbrister was granted bail yesterday, with the matter referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Since 2023, Coroner’s Court juries have ruled 16 police killings justified, eight as homicides by manslaughter, and one as homicide by murder. Fatal encounters have declined as adverse verdicts against officers have become more frequent.

Discussions on tasers, pepper spray, and similar tools have surfaced before but stalled. Mr Walkes said that until lawmakers act, officers must rely solely on firearms.

“My suggestion was the use of tasers but of course, that has to come with training, and it also has to be passed, the legislation has to be passed in Parliament,” he said.

“It’s not just where the commissioner can say that they want to use these non-lethal weapons. It has to be first passed in Parliament for us to be able to use these non-lethal weapons.”