UPP Women’s Forum condemns cop’s manhandlingof female partygoer

UPP Women’s Forum condemns cop’s manhandling of female partygoer.
The recent video clip of a senior police officer throwing a female fete patron to the ground has sparked the outrage of the United Progressive Party’s Women’s Forum, which is calling on Commissioner Atlee Rodney for an explanation and an apology.
Carnival in  Antigua and Barbuda is acknowledged as a time of revelry that often leads to excess. With no official prevention policies or penalties in place these many decades, the Police surely must be used to behaviour that stems from the abuse of alcohol and other substances at these events. Accordingly, the public expects that the Police – as enforcers of law and order – would be trained to defuse such situations and appropriately handle persons affected by behaviour-altering substances.
It cannot be acceptable that such measures would include the brutal mishandling that was witnessed by many and subsequently viewed by thousands.
The woman, who was not armed with any weapon, was viciously shoved to the ground,with her head landing dangerously close to what appears to be a concrete kerb. This is not the type of service and protection the festival needs, and it certainly does nothing to enhance the security of women in public or private spaces.
At a time when women are feeling particularly vulnerable – in the wake of too many
unsolved break-ins that resulted in rapes and robberies – the action taken against this
female patron only reinforces the concern that the protection of the law is not being
sufficiently extended to women. Unless such behaviour has become an accepted norm within the Force, we call on Commissioner Rodney to initiate a full investigation into this disturbing incident and to share the findings and outcomes with the public.