The Prime Minister claims that High Court judge Frank Seepersad went “overboard” when he criticized Commissioner of Police Erla Harewood-Christopher’s professional demeanor.
In response to an inquiry posed during the most recent round of the Conversations with the Prime Minister event in Tunapuna on the evening of March 26, he revealed his thoughts.
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He further emphasized that the policy for issuing firearm user licenses (FULs) is decided by the Cabinet, not by any member of the judiciary.
Seepersad chastised CoP Harewood-Christopher severely on March 25 for the Tobago businessman’s seven-year delay for a FUL.
Rowley said, “So activist judges who act as though they could make policy and guide public servants on what to do, I am saying (it is) the Government’s policy (that) ought to be respected.
“The Government has no policy to arm the population, like what Gary Griffith has been doing and advocating in the political arena.” He said his government has a different approach.
“We get firearms into the population in a controlled and serviced way. We are not here talking about, ‘Because you have crime in the country, everybody is entitled to a gun, and therefore, the judge says so.”
“Policy is for the Cabinet. Okay?” Though the PM expressed his opinion that Seepersad had “gone overboard” in his criticism, he added that it was possible the top officer had not personally submitted any affidavits to the court stating she was too busy to handle that specific FUL application.
