ARTICLE - NERVOUSNESS WITHIN THE PNH

NERVOUSNESS WITHIN THE PNH
(Le Nouvelliste) - By Robertson Alphonse

Three police officers have been assassinated in the last 48 hours, in the metropolitan region of Port-au-Prince. The death of Walky Calixte, implicated to be done by those close to a deputycharged to close relations d' a deputy, put fire to the powders. Police officers in anger transformed themselves into "cow-boys" on Rue Chavannes.

Twenty-four hours after unidentified individuals shot him down with several shots, the police officer Walky Calixte, 27 years, aboard his vehicle, in Martissant; many of his brothers is arms assigned to the Traffic Service designated the “culprits”: as the deputy from the first district of Port-au-Prince, Rodriguez Sejour, and his men.

Furious, these police officers went to Rue Chavannes, uttered death threats, riddled the vehicle of the deputy with bullets, a guest on the program “Intersection” on Radeio Caraibes FM. The deputy Rodriguez Sejour, according to these police officers, is the instigator “of the assassination of Walky Calixte”.

The police officer Walky Calixte had arrested of Charles Marc Junior, of Petit-Four, with a gun of 9 millimetres belonging to the member of Parliament. Just before the release by the Parquet court of Port-au-Prince of Charles Marc Junior, nephew of the deputy's wife, individuals on board vehicles with tinted windows had returned to threaten Walky Calixte and two other police officers, protested the police officers in anger.

The deputy rejects these accusations.

Deputy Rodriguez Séjour, “who is in hiding for safety reasons”, talked on the telephone with the newspaper, and has rejected any implication (of him or his close relations) in the death of the police officer, Walky Calixte. “There weren't threats against the deceased police officer nor against any other police officers, following the interpellation of my driver, the nephew of my wife. I was at the office of the government commissioner with the police officers who carried out this interpellation and the atmosphere was convivial”, highlighted Deputy Rodriguez Séjour. “Ask the government commissioner”, he recommended.

“The weapon confiscated is my personal weapon. The police force had it in their possession. UNPOL analyzed it before returning it to me at the Parquet court, yesterday, before the football game”, indicated Deputy Rodriguez Séjour, anxious after seeing that police officers in uniform had riddled his vehicle with bullets, and uttered death threats against his person, while he took part in the "Intersection" program.

Judgment, comprehension, apprehension

This is a deplorable incident”, reacted Jean Monard Métellus, a journalist at Radio Caraibes and organizer of the "Intersection" program. “Even if you have objections against somebody, this is not the way of doing it, especially when one is an agent of peace”, indicated the journalist.

“The police force cannot take justice by itself. The police officers cannot take revenge”, reacted the chief of the police force, Mario Andrésol, very worried by the information circulating in the death of the police officer, Walky Calixte. “I am even more anxious that police officers can be assassinated in reprisals, because they are doing their jobs, in accordance with the law. If, in fact, the police officer was assassinated in reprisal, it would be a very serious act”, he indicated. The DG is awaiting the report from Will Dimanche, the chief of the Traffic Service on this file, to form an opinion.

“I condemn the descent to Radio Caraibe. This is not a responsible behavior even if it is understood that the police officers were under the shock emotion”, confided the Divisional police chief Will Dimanche, who stresses that “all the police officers have resumed working”.

“The judicial police will carry out an investigation to identify and submit the culprits to justice. It is necessary to remain calm and serene. Like all the police officers, the death of this police officer who was very disciplined and productive saddens me. This time, there are indices”, he revealed, without going into the details.

The driver of the deputy will be questioned.

“No one is above the law. Police officers have pointed their finger at the driver of the deputy in the homicide of the police officer, Walky Calixte; It is normal that he is brought before the Parquet court”, revealed the Minister for Justice and Public Security, Michel Brunache.

“The deputy had made steps at the Ministry of Justice and has affirmed that the weapon has been confiscated that belonged to him. We allowed the driver to leave”, explained the Minister of Justice.

On the other side, the Minister of Justice, is condemning the descent to Radio Caraibes, stating “that the police officers must show reserve and discipline in any circumstance”.

The police officer, Pierre Defasse, attached to the security detail of Senator Rodolphe Joazile, was killed by gunshots on Monday, at Delmas 3; while another was gunned down, on Rue Macajoux, that same day, according to on line news agencies.

Efforts of the newspaper to collect information from the Parquet Court were in vain.

Meanwhile, the nervousness within the PNH is palpable, because of this cascade of police officer assassinations…