Soldiers should not take up police duties |05 April 2022
On behalf of the Association for Rights, Information and Democracy (Arid) and on behalf of some people who have contacted Arid as the non-governmental organisation (NGO) who has always been vocal on human rights and their responsibilities; also in line with President Wavel Ramkalawan’s recent press conference where he invited the citizens to share their comments on this issue, we are taking this opportunity to bring forward the people’s concern.
As much as we do agree that the military and police share some similarities, these two sets of professionals are completely different. Soldiers use deadly force when confronting the opponents, especially those who appear aggressive, and their weapons are their main tools in completing their task. Police officers, on the other hand, are required to try to accomplish their goals without using weapons. The military uses violence as a means to an end, while a police officer will use force only to protect self or others from violence.
Therefore, law enforcement is not a task to be undertaken by the military forces, and the Constitution, Article 163 is clear about the role of the military forces and the Police Force Act also prescribes the legal mandate of the police force. As a civil society organisation, we are strongly against the proposal to deploy military personnel to assist the police force (except in a state of emergency) as currently defined by law.
The two functions are distinctly different even the training and the mandate of the two entities are completely different. Military personnel are NOT trained to discharge police functions and they should NOT be given the power to do so unless in special circumstances such as in the case of a state of emergency.
Our military has done, and is continuing to do, an amazing job with the coast guard, in the maritime zone.
Seychelles is a non-conflict country therefore military cannot carry out police duties. However, they can provide their services to the Disaster Risk Management Division (DRMD) during national disasters. They cannot carry out functions which are specifically for police officers like power to stop, search and arrest persons.
In conclusion, Arid recommends that the proposal is reconsidered and that more effort is put in enhancing the service delivery of the police force and self-defense training, like they are doing under the tutelage of Assistant Commissioner Ron Bonnelame. There is a Public Security Support Wing (PSSW) which is there in case of riot and for crowd control.
I thank you for reconsidering this decision.
Representative of Arid