Law enforcement agencies across the globe have elements that will deviate from standard operating procedures.

The actions of those within the force who are accused of inflicting untold suffering on a 14 year old lad are inexcusable. However, their actions must not be seen as a reflection of the force and, by extension, the administration as the Kaieteur News and the Opposition may lead others to believe.

It’s easy for the Opposition to utter such nonsense, some of which may have already crept in the reportage of some media houses. They should be reminded that all law enforcement agencies across the globe have elements that will not stay steadfast to standard operating procedures. The United States which is seen as standard bearer of adherence to human rights, has on record multiple incidents of police brutality perpetrated on people who were either in or out of custody. The 1997 case of Haitian immigrant, Abner Louima, comes to mind.

Louima was assaulted, brutalised and forcibly sodomized with a broken broom stick by New York cops. This high-profile case in which four cops were charged attracted world attention. This is not the only case of such atrocities perpetrated by cops from precincts within the United States.

Amadou Diallo was gun downed in a hail of bullets by another four New York cops. He was killed outside his home whilst reaching for his wallet. Superstar, Bruce Springsteen, wrote a song in sympathy to Diallo. The song was performed at Madison Square Garden a few weeks later.

In 1991, Rodney King was brutally beaten by some members of the Los Angles Police Department. An amateur photographer filmed the heinous incident. The footage was beamed across the world on all major television networks. King’s name became a household name for the wrong reason. On June 7, 1998, James Byrd of Texas was beaten behind a convenience store, stripped naked, chained by the ankles to a pickup truck, and dragged for three miles. Whilst his death was not at the hands of law enforcement agents, the subsequent Labour Day parade in New York saw his death being mocked by two Firemen and a Policeman.

The then Mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, described the Firemen and the Policeman as “a few misguided, possibly sick, individuals”. To say the same for those who killed him would be a gross understatement. These are just a few of the many incidents of Police brutality and excessiveness in the United States. Research would show that such practices are common in other countries.

Wrong as it is, it’s prevalent even in developed countries. In these countries, the actions of those who perpetrate such atrocities are not seen as reflecting the position of the agency with which they are employed nor of that of the related City’s administration as in the case of the United States.

Rouge elements are common in all such agencies across the globe.