Sunday, 17th August 2008
Mistaken identity lands man in trouble
A young man from Burkina Faso yesterday faced charges of assaulting police officers - after he mistook them for thieves.
It sounds like the plot of a comedy, were it not for the fact that 18-year-old Issahak Abubaker was the only protagonist and the incident earned him the dear penalty of a one year, suspended jail term.
He was minding his own business in Paceville when he thought he was being ambushed by a group of men who asked to go through his pockets.
Believing they were thieves, he threw his mobile phone, to the ground to make sure they did not get hold of it, and instantly threw a couple of punches, hitting one of them.
The hitch was that the 'thieves' were, in fact, vice squad officers in plain clothes. Even after they identified themselves, he refused to believe them and instead kept throwing punches.
When he was eventually restrained and frisked, the officers found no trace of the drugs they were looking for.
"He was clean," an officer told The Sunday Times. "He really thought they were thieves... policemen have uniforms, he told the inspector."
Mr Abubaker pleaded guilty to the charge.
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Comments
I am not a lawyer, but I am a retired police officer (UK, not Malta - but it's reasonable to assume that the laws in democracies would be similar!)
When I intended to search someone I would be required to approach him and say "I am a police officer; here is my warrant card. I have grounds to suspect that you have illegal drugs in your possession, and I intend to search you. If you fail to submit to a search you will be arrested. Do you understand?"
It is UNLAWFUL to order a suspect to turn out his pockets without having identified yourself first. Abubaker was fully justified in defending himself against what he thought was an attack, and it's no good saying you are a police officer after the fracas has begun because by then the victim is well and truly frightened, and is unlikely to believe you even if he hears you. This whole case is a miscarriage of justice. The police let him down, the court let him down, and his lawyer let him down - if he even had a lawyer!
why do you have to bring racism in this matter?
People like you are expecting that the police now don't approach a coloured person because you might think that they are racist.
Before anyone would jump into conclusions as that is what normelly happens when so many ' Serpicos, Sherlock Holmes, Maigrets' write their views, I would like to ask what is the real procedure when undercover police approach you and ask for a body search?
Can any top class lawyer write down in this space how the law stands so that we would be wiser?
Wrong Bananas
You cannot imagine 1 person to be exactly like his whole country.
In fact I think you would have done the same,
believing they were thieves who needed a good hiding.
Fact of the point is, he was an idiot.
Every people has its idiots, you should know.
Everyone has problems with police, some people use their head and try soften the blow, others make things worse like punch them.
This was a perfectly justifiable case of self-defence.
If this is the attitude public officers take when in plain clothes, then Lord have mercy on us !
I am in no way implying anything about these police officers, but reading this experience made me recall this incident.
It's true certain jobs give you a sense of power over us plebeians, but there are limits aren't there ?
It seems that things that happen regularly, are only noted by parrots like you when the victim is coloured.
Did you know that complaining when the victims are coloured and not when victims are Maltese...or any other nationality or skin colour is akin to racism?
It seems that most of the people who are continually jumping on the racism bandwagon stand something to gain. This is only my impression, however it does seem strange does it not?
I see nothing wrong in stopping someone and then identifying yourself in the course of the search, which is exactly what happened in this place. The report says clearly that the suspect kept punching them even after they had identified themselves.
What should the undercover police do? Start wearing their full uniforms just because foreigners assume that all police are bond to wear a uniform?
Give me a break!
The real victims here are Mr Abubaker and justice; both have been betrayed by the police and the court.
Perhaps Mr Abubaker should be recruited into the Police Corps; he's obviously a plucky lad, taking on a gang of thieves single-handed!
You and all those who keep playing the racist card are causing terrible damage to the islands future.
"The hitch was that the 'thieves' were, in fact, vice squad officers in plain clothes. Even after they identified themselves, he refused to believe them and instead kept throwing punches"
The police should have identified themselves before asking to search his pockets.
The wrong person has been punished.
Damm! I keep forgetting. We are racisist when it comes to skin colour..