Public defender concerned about police stop and search operations

Public defender Arlene Harrison Henry is expressing concern about the manner in which the police conduct stop and search operations and interviews with suspects.

She was addressing a forum put on by the Trelawny police as part of their police week activities at the Falmouth Town Hall in the parish yesterday.

Harrison Henry says some of the stop and searches being carried out by the police, particularly in Kingston and St Andrew, are being done randomly and are illegal.

She says such searches should be conducted based on specific information and reasonable suspicion.

Meanwhile, she is also lamenting the practice by the police taking statements from suspects without their lawyers present.

She says the practice can affect the integrity of the statement collected and infringe upon the rights of suspects.