But while the commissioner was giving warnings in abundance today, some
of his officers aren't playing so nice; they're making a profit out
extorting the maskless. We have received multiple reports of police
picking up persons not wearing masks and then extorting them for a
hundred dollars - offered to save them from a fine of five thousand
dollars.
We asked the COMPOL about it.
Chester Williams - Commissioner of Police
"I have not heard of any situation where officers are extorting people. If
it is that you all have the information then let me get it because if that
is so, then it is wrong. As officers of the law, we are charged with the
responsibility of arresting people, charging them, taking them before a
court and it is the court of law that is going to determine whether or not
the person is guilty or innocent and will be the one to be able to ensure
that a fine is levied on that person if needs be."
Reporter
"Sir you do realise that in the case that people know, it's 5,000 dollars
is the fine if you're not wearing a mask. If an officer comes up to you in
a shake down situation and says you know, forget the 5,000 just give me the
100, you see how there is opportunity for that."
Chester Williams
"Of course there is an opportunity I would hope that the officers are not
going to bring themselves down to that level and try to give a person a
break just for a little bit of money because that little bit of money that
he is taking, may well be the determining factor in him keeping a job as
well as him catching the COVID 19 virus. So, we have to be very real here,
at the end of the day we expect that our officers are going to enforce the
law the way the law was intended to be enforced."
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