“I felt horrible. I felt traumatised. And worse of all I felt like a criminal. I could not believe that this was happening to me. I did nothing wrong,” she said as she fought back the tears.
Just about an hour prior she was sitting in the decrepit Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of one of the major police stations in the city.
As she spoke it was as if she was fighting to find the right words to describe how she felt and the pain was evident in her voice and eyes.
“I still cannot believe this happen to me and I now understand how people feel when they are wrongfully accused. It is not only about you not doing something but it is more about people trying to make you feel guilty or to admit to something you did not do,” she continued.
I have known this mother of three for more than half of my life and while over the years the close friendship we once shared petered out, we remained in touch and would chat from time to time. She has had some struggles, and sometimes I wish I could have done more to assist her, but in my heart, I have always wished her the best.
When she called me hysterical and in tears informing that she was being accused of robbery and held at the station and wanted the assistance of a lawyer, I immediately got into action.
“Look the [name of the company she worked for] had a robbery last night and yesterday someone came to me to collect something and I was dealing with a client and he had to wait a little while and because they see him sitting there on the surveillance camera they say it suspicious and now I at the station. You know me better than this,” she almost screamed the last part in my ears before the phone cut off.
The next time I saw her was in that CID space, tears rolling down her checks which she fought to control with a handkerchief and write a statement at the same time. She was seated on a small chair in a corner and as I surveyed the space I could not imagine men and women of the law are made to work in such an environment. But I checked myself as I was there to support a friend who was in obvious distress.
I remained there for about two hours until she was allowed to leave, after the police would have cross-checked her statement with that of the individual who had gone to visit her the previous day.
“I am leaving that job. I can’t work with people like that anymore. How could they accuse me of this and put me through something like this?” she asked in disbelief as we left the station together.
“I went to work yesterday morning and is then I hear they had a robbery last night. But I went about my business normal. I went out on the road and then when I come back, I hear them talking about some guy in a video who was sitting for a while and how he come to me. Well, at first, I thought it was a client because I like even forget the guy had come to me to collect something.
“But is after I see the video and I see is who they talking about and I say yea the guy come to me but I was dealing with a client and he had to wait. The police were there and then like I don’t even know what happen. They call all of us downstairs then everything like I don’t even know…,” she trailed off as she fought back tears. “Before we went downstairs one of them who working there start cursing me up. Yes using f and s, on me and I like what is going on and then when we went downstairs, they tell the police how the man in the video come to me and how it suspicious,” she continued.
“And if you hear how the police start to behave on me, hollering up on me like if I was a criminal. First, they want me to give them the guy address but I tell them I don’t know it and they was like how I don’t know he address and I say is somebody I know. But I didn’t know the person address is someone ask me to give him something. They said call and tell the guy he wanted by the police. I didn’t even know the guy number I had to call the person and then tell them to call him,” she said.
“I know it sound all confusing but that is the honest truth,” she said to me.
I quickly told her that I believed every word.
She said “It means a lot to me.
“The police then turn and start saying how don’t worry we guh find the other three. In the robbery, which was caught on tape it was three bandits and they talking like if I was part of this robbery for true.
“Now they tell me I have to go the station with them and is in the police vehicle I had to go and if you hear how they talking to me, especially the female inspector – a big woman – she just hollering up on me and basically calling me a bandit. When we meet at the station, they want me to sit down on a bench with two other guys who were there for something and I tell them I not sitting there.
“The same inspector lady telling me that I have to sit there and I tell she I not sitting there because I am not no criminal. She was like you want to sit in my office and I say if you want me to sit in there I would not mind. And she turn and say how I didn’t reach them level to sit in she office and then the rest of them in the office start laughing. I told her that I am not at the level to sit on no bench and how these two foot not walking and carrying me to that bench,” she continued.
“Let me tell you I holler down all in that station because I couldn’t believe that was happening to me. I said I not talking to the police without a lawyer,” she said.
I did call a lawyer who knows her well and he visited the station and was informed that as soon as the friend who visited the office the previous day visited the station and verified her story she would be allowed to go. He had to go to another appointment but checked in later just about the time she was leaving the station.
Thankfully, the individual did visit the station and after he gave a statement and the two were cross checked they were both allowed to leave. The police informed them that they would contact them if they are further needed.
But by then my friend was obviously emotionally drained. “Girl, I now can imagine how people could just get frighten and tell the police what they want to hear. If you hear how these people behave on me it was only for me to tell them I was involved in this robbery. … They basically accuse me of being a bandit…,” she said.
I believe my friend is more hurt at the treatment meted out to her by her employers than the police. It was only a few months ago she was rewarded for performance at a job she says she loves very much.
“Nobody called or came to see what is happening with me is like they believe I would do something like this. He [one of the bosses] texting me and telling me to tell him the whole truth, I am like what the hell, what truth I am telling the truth,” she said quietly.
I am not sure how this story will finally end but I believe she has seen the last of the police station. As for her job she has since quit and I agree with her I could not have worked with that company any longer even if I was desperate for a job.
This sister has had some really struggles in life but in recent times as the saying goes ‘things were looking up for her’. I can only pray (she is a woman of faith) that it continues that way.
As for the police I am not sure what else can be done in terms of training to get police officers to behave like human beings even when they are investigating a crime. That being said it is also time that the powers that be treat our men and women of the law better and it should begin by providing better working environment.
