A joint workshop for magistrates and state and police prosecutors attached to the DPP’s Chambers was held on February 8, 2014 at the Guyana Police Force Officers’ Training Centre.
A release from the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions said that the Chamber and the Magistracy hosted the joint training session on the issue of “Admissibility of Caution Statements,” oral and written, in cases of summary trials, preliminary inquiries (PI’s) and paper committals.
The workshop was addressed by Chief Justice Ian Chang and Madam Justice Roxane George, who both had given decisions on this issue in the matters of the Police vs Kemraj Boohdoo and the Police vs Denis Persaud and Troy Green.
Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Ali-Hack in her opening remarks explained that the workshop was needed since when police files are sent to the Chambers for legal advice, she is sometimes faced with incomplete police investigations in relation to the issues arising in summary trials, preliminary inquiries (PIs) and paper committals in the taking of caution statements.
“Files have been causing me some problems to indict and so I have to send them back for further investigations and it is holding up the cases from being heard expeditiously,” the DPP explained.
She said that in some instances the necessary evidence is absent from the preliminary inquiry and the DPP has to direct the magistrate to reopen the PI for the necessary evidence to be taken.
The objective of the workshop was to ensure that when these matters are heard in the Court both the police prosecutors and the magistrates will have the same understanding of these legal issues resulting in preliminary inquiries being conducted in a timely manner to avoid any delays in the hearing of the PIs.
