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3.13 Deputy M. Tadier of the Chairman of the Comité des Connétable s regarding warrant cards:
Further to his response to a question on 17th November 2009 when the Chairman told the Assembly that the Connétable s carried warrant cards for means of identification and in the view of the fact that I.D. (identification) cards have subsequently been made available to all States Members, is there now a need for Constables to carry warrant cards at all?
Connétable K.P. Vibert of St. Ouen (Chairman of the Comité des Connétable s): The Connétable s retain the authority to carry a warrant card under existing legislation. It is therefore the decision of each individual Connétable whether to do so.
- Deputy M. Tadier :
It was stated on 17th November 2009 that they were carried for identification purposes. Will the Constable confirm whether this is to identify them as States Members at which point they could use an I.D. card from the States of Jersey or is it to identify them as police officers?
The Connétable of St. Ouen :
That question would have to be aimed at each individual Connétable who does carry a warrant card. I cannot answer for them.
- Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier:
Would the Constable not agree that a lot of this residual problem has arisen from the fact that the proposition put before the States in May 1998 re Clothier 1 - if I may call it that - was never fully implemented and we live in a state of fog as regards the implementation of that proposition?
The Connétable of St. Ouen :
Yes, I would agree with that and I would also point out that the Comité des Connétable s of the day sought guidance from the Law Officers as to how their role could be more clearly identified as far as being States Members was concerned and that, to date, has not been resolved.
- Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier:
Sir, a supplementary. Would the Constable or the Chairman of the Committee tell me why, in his view, this law was not fully implemented?
The Connétable of St. Ouen :
I might answer that question with another question. Why do the States of Jersey not implement every law that is supposed to be implemented?
- Deputy M. Tadier :
I think the question is very simple. States Members now have I.D. cards available to them. It was put to the Constable the last time this was discussed, in a question by Deputy Martin, whether or not all Constables should have warrant cards if they are all police officers. It is perceivable that they should be able to identify themselves as such and the Constable said that he would look into that issue. Will the Constable give a clear indication if he will bring this up at the next Comité des Connétable s meeting and I would suggest that if Constables are police officers, as we know they are, and a member of the public wants them to identify them as such, they should have warrant cards? Would the Constable agree to do that?
The Connétable of St. Ouen :
I do give an assurance that it will be on a future agenda of the Comité des Connétable s