Probe Reveals Admin Failure in Daniel Caal’s Detention  

The Professional Standards Branch has launched an investigation into the death of twenty-six-year-old Belmopan resident Daniel Caal. He died at the Western Regional Hospital after being held in police custody for four days. An autopsy report revealed that he died from respiratory complications. Well, ComPol Williams says that several administrative breaches have been identified, including the fact that Caal did not have to remain in the holding cell for more than a few hours.

 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“ We can see with certainty that there may be no criminal culpability on the part of the police.  But as the investigation is unfolding, we are seeing where some of our administration, administrative measures were breached.  And so those police officers who caused the breach of our administrative measures will have to answer administratively.  One such thing is that Mr. Caal need not to have been in police custody beyond the Friday. He could have gone to court.  Why keep him in custody longer than it was necessary to do so?  So, whoever was responsible for ensuring he had gone to court a Friday will have to answer why that did not occur. But if what the family is saying that  they had visited the station to see him,  and the police did not allow them to see him, the police can be wrong and they can be right.  We do have visitation hours at the station. We can’t have a system where people walk in anytime wanting to see a prisoner. So, we have to look to see if that was during visitation hours. But if the family would have come and say, I’d like to see my loved one because we know he suffered from XYZ and is caught every so often, which then triggers something that might have the police, let’s make a check on him. So, we have to look at what exactly was said to the police by the family members when they alleged that they visited the station.”

 

Reporter

“Was there any explanation for the gash on the head?”

 

Chester Williams

“I believe that it was caused from a seizure and when he fell, the bar in the cell block may have hit his head.”