"Record the police": Justice Seepersad urges CCTV, cellphones in all police encounters— "accountability must not be feared"— public confidence in TTPS below %10
A High Court judge has issued a forceful call for all interactions between citizens and police to be recorded, declaring that accountability must be embraced, not resisted, as public trust in the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) continues to erode.
Justice Frank Seepersad made the remarks in a ruling against the State, after finding that a Defence Force corporal was wrongfully arrested and maliciously prosecuted by police. The court awarded $100,000 in damages, including aggravated and exemplary sums.
But beyond the compensation, the judgment delivered a stinging rebuke of police conduct, leadership, and resistance to scrutiny—remarks that resonate sharply amid national outrage following the Joshua Samaroo killing and the subsequent release of CCTV footage that contradicted early official narratives.
Justice Seepersad said that until proper legislative reform and accountability mechanisms are in place, citizens should protect themselves by recording police encounters. “Contemporaneous recordings provide the best evidence and protect all the parties involved,” the judge stated.
He added that in the absence of laws holding officers personally liable for malicious prosecutions, mandatory body-worn cameras must be prioritised, and until then, CCTV cameras and cellphones should be used to record all police interactions.
The judge rejected arguments by police that recording amounted to assault, dismissing claims that a cellphone was “thrust” into an officer’s face.
“No utility would have been achieved by recording his nostrils,” Seepersad said, rejecting the officers’ version of events as lacking credibility.
"The TTPS must remember that their mandate is to Protest and Serve not Persecute and Subjugate," Seepersad said.
The court found that there were no reasonable or probable grounds to charge the claimant and ruled that the circumstances justified an inference of malice. Justice Seepersad said it was improbable that police would ask a disorderly individual to calmly follow them to a station, noting that such a sequence undermined the officers’ account.
He also accepted the claimant’s version of events, finding that the officer involved acted unprofessionally and that the arrest and prosecution were unjustified.
In one of the most striking sections of the ruling, Justice Seepersad cited statistics indicating that public trust and confidence in the TTPS is below 10 per cent, calling the situation “disturbing and deplorable.”
“For a Republic besieged by rampant lawlessness, this is unacceptable,” he said, stressing that effective policing depends on public cooperation, which cannot exist without trust.
He criticised what he described as an “appalling failure” by police leadership to address misconduct and rebuild confidence, pointing to high-handed, disrespectful interactions with citizens.
The ruling comes at a time when public confidence in law enforcement has been shaken by the killing of Joshua Samaroo, where CCTV footage—released after intense public pressure—played a pivotal role in shaping public understanding of what occurred.
It also intersects with recent statements by Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander, who addressed concerns about the timing and release of surveillance footage, further fuelling debate about transparency, information control, and accountability within the national security framework.
Justice Seepersad warned that resistance to accountability often suggests misconduct, adding:
“Accountability is required at every level of society and should not be feared.”
Positioning the judiciary as a constitutional safeguard, the judge made it clear that courts will continue to act where citizens’ rights are breached. “As the guardian of the Constitution, this court will unapologetically ensure that the rights of citizens are protected and will continue to declare that violations will not be tolerated.”
Summary of incident involving Corporal Elton King (T&T Defence Force)
On the night of April 15, 2020, Defence Force Corporal Elton King alleges he was harassed, assaulted, falsely arrested, and maliciously prosecuted by police officers following a minor traffic incident near the Factory Road, Piarco intersection.
King says that after the traffic lights turned green, his vehicle was recklessly overtaken on the right, forcing him to slow down to avoid a collision. Shortly after pulling into the NP Service Station on Factory Road to purchase fuel, he was confronted by two police officers in a marked vehicle.
One officer, identified in court documents as Defendant No. 4, immediately began shouting:
“Big man did you see you almost caused ah accident?”
Despite King calmly responding that he “prevented an accident,” the officer continued aggressively, accusing him of drunken driving and speaking in a hostile, belittling manner. When King asked the officer to stop addressing him disrespectfully, the officer allegedly retorted: “Like you stupid or something???”
The situation escalated when the officer allegedly poked King in his shoulder, telling him:
“Sometimes allyuh civilians should shut up when the police talking to allyuh.”
When King objected to being touched, he claims the officer responded: “I IS THE POLICE, I CAN DO WHAT I WANT!!!”
Fearing for his safety, King attempted to retrieve his phone to record the interaction. He alleges the officer snatched the phone from his hand, stating: “You playing stupid, come down to the station to get your phone!”
Even after identifying himself as a Corporal in the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, King says the officer replied: “Or you is a soldier too? I still don’t care—meet me in the station!”
At the Arouca Police Station, King says he was deliberately delayed from making a report, repeatedly dismissed, and mocked. After waiting over 45 minutes, the same officer allegedly told him: “Right ok, here is what I will do now—I will be placing you under arrest!”
When King asked what he was being arrested for, he claims he was told: “You don’t study that. When I charge you, you will know.”
He was allegedly threatened with an additional charge if he resisted and later taunted: “You don’t tell the police how to do their job… step into the cell!”
King was denied a phone call, detained overnight, and held in what he described as an “extremely filthy” cell, overcrowded with other detainees, containing faeces and urine. During his detention, he claims multiple officers visited the cell to mock and threaten him, including threats to “mark his face” and deal with him “on the road.”
He was charged with: Dangerous Driving ($3,000 ticket),
Assaulting a Police Officer, and
Disorderly Behaviour (initially listed as indecent behaviour, later amended).
King denies all allegations, stating that no independent evidence existed and that CCTV footage from the gas station could disprove the claims.
The matter was called six times between May 2020 and January 2021. On every occasion, King attended court. None of the police complainants appeared. The case was eventually dismissed for want of prosecution.
King alleges the charges were based entirely on false accounts, brought with malice, and intended to humiliate, intimidate, and punish him unlawfully. — Story by I.A.N News
