By: Spokesman Newsroom
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Friday 18th January 2019)- Three on-duty police officers involved in the recent controversial Marriott Hotel cops- visitors heated situation have been on the receiving end disciplinary action in the matter while an off-duty one is being praised for providing assistance to his colleagues.
Acting Police Commissioner Hilroy Brandy provided details during the answer and question segment of the Prime Minister’s press conference on Wednesday this week (16th January).
“Concerning the video at the Marriott, I think no member of the organisation was happy to see that video circulated on social media. However I must congratulate Constable Denver Herbert who was on some free time socialising at Marriot and was able to come to the rescue of two of his officers and help to bring that under control,” he said.
The top cop continued: “The couple was arrested and taken to the Frigate Bay Police Station and later they should have been charged and taken before the court. However, some three officers did not perform their duties that is mandated by law. An investigation was launched and as a result, disciplinary charges were proffered against those officers who. That is all I wish to say at this time.”
Although the three officers in this matter are being frowned upon, according to information coming from the Police Public Relations Department, no officer was bribed by the visitors as rumours have been claiming.
“…the High Command would like to assure the public that misinformation being circulated that Officers involved in the incident received a bribe from the visitors has proven to be false. While the situation itself was an unfortunate one, the peddling of such false information, that was clearly deliberately intended to deceive the public, is even more regrettable,” it has been revealed.
Meanwhile, as it relates to the officers’ employment status, ACP Brandy says two are currently on sick leave while the other is still on duty.
The incident took place during the night time of New Year’s (Tuesday 1stJanuary) in the hotel’s lobby reportedly while two officers were responding to a report involving the visiting couple believed to be from the United States.
A cellphone video footage spanning some 4 minutes and 39 seconds shows an altercation between two local officers in uniform and the caucasian (white) male-female pair.
The man can be heard swearing at very close in the face of one of the cops while an individual believed to be an employee at the hotel attempts to diffuse the situation. Another police officer is seen being poked in the chest by the loud-talking man.
At one point, that man is seen rushing to attack that same officer but fails to do so as the hotel worker intervenes in pushing the officer aside out of the man’s reach while trying to appeal to the attacker to behave.
The man’s wife/girlfriend is see trying to pull him away from going at the officer also. However, the situation escalates and the man gets a closer reach of the officer while the other cop tries to assist his colleague from the attacker which soon after saw the man’s girlfriend/wife pulling the officer by his shirt to let go of her boyfriend/husband.
Shortly thereafter, the man was handcuffed and the woman held in a restrained manner before being led through the hotel lobby and on the outside.