by The Grenada Association of Professional Social Workers
Organisations call for independent inquiry into shooting incidents of psychiatrically ill patients!
The Grenada Association of Professional Social Workers (GAPSW) Inc, and the Grenada Human Rights Association (GHRO) Inc., wish to raise concerns regarding the most recent shooting of a mentally ill man in St Patrick on Wednesday, 19 January 2022.
Unfortunately, this is not the first incident of a psychiatrically ill patient to be fatally wounded by the police.
Whilst we recognise the need for the police to execute their duties in protecting the public and themselves, however, when responding to urgent situations and having to make swift decisions on how to react, there needs to be greater awareness of the needs of persons with mental health issues.
Although we are not apportioning blame — we are extremely concerned that these vulnerable persons who are often acutely distressed at the time — shooting to kill is deemed as the most appropriate intervention. It is also disturbing, that there has been no further update from the police on this incident.
Relatives need to feel confident that when they request assistance from the police, it will not result in the death of their loved ones.
As far as we are aware, there has been no inquiry into the previous shooting deaths of people with psychiatric disorders. If the [Royal Grenada Police] Force is to learn and improve practice, change is what needs to occur. We are therefore calling for an independent inquiry to ascertain the facts and to help educate the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) to take a more appropriate and sensitive approach in dealing with volatile psychiatrically ill patients in the community.
We are once again calling on the Government to revisit the 2008 draft Mental Health Bill, as this incident has proven that there are many patients living with enduring mental health problems in the community who are likely to not be in receipt of a coordinated service.
The need for a more updated mental health legislation to improve the antiquated services that are current is long overdue. A far cry from the Government’s commitment to improving mental health services as part of their millennium development goal objective.
It is time that mentally ill persons receive a service that acknowledges their rights to be treated with dignity and respect and their carers’ expectation of realistic support are realised.
It seems like RGPF is trying to catch up with their Yankee brethren. As Jazmine Charles says there is the Tazer option, also pepper spray & non lethal shots to arms or legs. Some people with mental health issues are sometimes not in full control of their faculties, unless they are trying to kill someone else there is no reason to kill them.
A police officer is not supposed to draw his weapon unless there is an intention to kill. So there needs to be a very good reason for removing the firearm from the holster. Secondly this myth about non lethal shots to the arms and legs. Sure a grazing shot to the calf or thigh might make the person stop for a second or two, but it is unlikely to disable, and shots to the leg could end in arterial destruction, so whether the intention was to kill or not, the death could easily be the result.
Certainly the police need better arms training, not only how to use them, but when to use them. This is a small Island with few means of escape. Even if a criminal who could be potentially challenging is running away, executing him as he flees is not justified. He can’t go far and he can be apprehended at a later date.
What is just as necessary is regrettably less mentally disturbed people out on the streets. We see people pushing the wheel barrow or shouting at the air frequently, they need better support in a sensitively run asylum. While I do not like the concept of locking non criminals up, especially with mental issues as it could be possible to keep a mildly impaired person locked up without the ability to get released…. That would be an abuse, but also having disturbed people doing reckless things and carrying on around the Careenage while tourists stroll by not necessarily understanding the raving guy is not just a drunk, but a person with mental issues lends itself to sending a bad image out to the World outside.
As the saying goes: “Monkey see, monkey do.” The “shoot first, ask questions later” policy adopted by the RGPF in recent years should come as no surprise to the Grenadian people. As long as we continue to train our senior officers and special forces based on American standards where target practice is usually conducted using the image of black individuals, our police would have no compunction putting their training in action whenever they get even the least justifiable opportunity to do so. The Russian physiologist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov is known all over the world for his development of the theory of classical conditioning. Accordingly, the scent of food naturally leads to the unconditioned salivation of a dog. However, if the scent of food is paired with the sound of a bell or other kind of stimulus, the dog begins to respond to the sound in the same way that it does to the scent of food. That is what is know as a conditioned response. Unfortunately, that is the subconscious way in which our boys and girls in blue who have pledged to serve and protect are trained. And so, as long as that type of Pavlovian training regimen continues, many situations which could have been pacified without resorting to firearms would otherwise end with the unnecessary death of our citizens. And this holds true for the ones who are generally classified as the “criminally insane” as well as for those who truly might have been on the verge of becoming “insanely criminal.”
Hello RGPF, there is an option: it is called a Tazer. Electric shock as opposed to a bullet. Non-lethal, fast recovery. Interesting how often the police train with live ammo at Pearls… just a thought to ponder awhile.
Tazers can and do kill, but at leat it would not be the intention.