Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne says the Democratic Labour Party supports the use of wiretapping and lie detector testing to combat violent crime, but only if those powers are exercised by the police and authorised by the judiciary, not politicians.
Speaking during a press conference on Monday, Thorne said the government’s recent announcement of new crime-fighting tools should have come from the Commissioner of Police, not the Prime Minister.
He warned that political involvement in operational policing sets a dangerous precedent, further describing the “posture” as “problematic”.
“The Prime Minister is not a law enforcement officer. Let the police continue their work without political interference or intervention,” he ssaid.
He further argued that the introduction of tools like wiretapping requires strict legal protocols and must remain firmly under the control of law enforcement agencies, not the PM or cabinet.
“These exercises would be done only by the grant of a warrant, and not a warrant signed by a justice of the peace, because a lot of the justices of the peace are political appointees,” Thorne said.
“And we would want to take it as well beyond the magistrate… into the high court judiciary.”
He added that the rights of all citizens must be equally protected, noting, “Everyone, from the highest public official back then to the vagrant in the street, will be subject to the same protocols and procedures.”
Thorne said the DLP remains committed to supporting serious anti-crime efforts but stressed that such efforts must be police-led, court-approved, and free from political interference. (SM)
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