Transcript
AUTAGAVAIA TIPI AUTAGAVAIA: Before these four positions of assistant commissioner were put in place it was only the position of deputy commissioner and commissioner at the time. And I think the government is now looking way, way back in the previous years of the Ministry of Police and how peaceful it was, the management and everything and I there is a lot of mess going on in the Ministry because of these four positions of assistant commissioner.
DON WISEMAN: Who was it who created the four assistant commissioner roles?
ATA: This was done way back at the time of the former commissioner, Asi James Blakelock
DW: What has been the feeling in Samoa about this somewhat top heavy police organisation. What do people think about having had that arrangement with four assistant commissioners instead of just the single deputy?
ATA: Well before the act was amended at that time, the bill went to the bills committee, there was a huge objection from the senior officers. The concern was they are political appointments as well. And the objection was the interference of politics in the running of the police on a daily basis.
DW: Now the suspended police commissioner, he remains suspended, he wants to take up his job again following the tossing out of all those charges that had been brought against him, but no decision has been made and there are still some civil charges pending.
ATA: These are civil cases against the police commissioner and several other officers in this raid back in October 2015. Remember the first charges against the police commissioner that were withdrawn last year, came from that inquiry by the Ombudsman on a complaint by this man [after] his stall was raided by police at the Fugalei Markets. None of any narcotics were found but the police at that raid used the weapons and I think when those criminal charges, against the police commissioner, on the outcome of the Ombudsman inquiry were withdrawn, the complainant still filed a civil suit against the Ministry of Police, the former Minister of Police, the officers involved in the raid, because the Ombudsman in the report said it was unlawful to do the raid and it was wrong person they arrested.
DW: When we talk about weapons used they were significant automatic guns and Mr Keil, who was still in his role as police commissioner at that stage, was actually on the raid?
ATA: Yes he was leading the raid at the market.