ANB officers prosecuted
The police has confirmed that four ANB officers have been taken to court over a case in which they allegedly conducted an indecent search on three female minors. The incident took place in the last week of July this year at the Emergency Housing Estate at Grand Anse Mahe. The Seychelles Independent was one of the few media houses to cover the topic. The parents of one of the three teenage girls who were allegedly submitted to excessive treatment, including having to strip naked for a body search and other inappropriate treatment made an official complaint.
It is illegal to search, question or undertake any legal action with a minor without the presence of a parent or guardian. At the time the incident took place, the three girls were alone in the house, which was a targeted search by the Anti-Drugs and Narcotics Bureau.
The case is one which has not received much media attention but, The Independent is among the few which have made it a point to not only cover the story but to also follow up and continue to lob-by until legal action has been initiated against those officers.
“It is a case of safeguarding the safety of minors, something which is as much a role of the media as reporting on other issues. As long as we can raise the alert in a timely manner, we can help keep our children safe, as these days their safety is being challenged by different factors” Editor Ralph Volcere said.
He added that he is pleased with the outcome of the lobbying. Deputy Commissioner of Police Romano Songore stressed that it is important that duty is carried out in a responsible manner.
“The fight against drugs is always an uphill battle and we need the public to support us and help us to achieve our aim. We have to earn their trust and support and the only way we can do this is by working diligently and in the appropriate manner. We have established that there was an over-stepping of limits by the agents and as such we can only hand the case over to the prosecuting authorities.”
He also echoed the words of the Editor that the safety of children is a priority.
“We want these children and youths to grow up and become outstanding law abiding citizens. We need to nurture them and give them the confidence that as adults we would always be protecting them and leading them along the right path. Children who experience such trauma, could well be affected and later turn against society. We have informed the family that the case is going to court and we will await the outcome,” he said.
