Detainee Bites Police Officer at Port Louis Line Barracks

A routine lunchtime inspection at the Line Barracks detention centre in Port Louis ended in violence on Saturday 7 November when a detainee attacked a police officer, biting him on the left forearm and drawing blood.

The incident occurred at around 11 a.m. during a standard inspection round. The officer on duty had been escorting a detainee, identified as Anne Mario Joseph Gaetan, to a ground-floor toilet at his request, in accordance with normal procedures. When the time came to return to the cell, the man flatly refused to comply.

Faced with increasingly aggressive behaviour, the constable called for backup. A sergeant and a fellow officer responded, and the three attempted to restrain the detainee. During the struggle, the man bit the constable hard on his left forearm, causing a bleeding wound.

The detainee was immediately removed from the cell area. The injured officer was taken to Dr A.G. Jeetoo Hospital, the main public hospital serving central Port Louis, where he received medical treatment. The attending doctor signed him off on two days of sick leave.

A formal complaint has been lodged at the Line Barracks police station and an investigation is under way.

Line Barracks, located in the heart of Port Louis, is one of the oldest and most central police facilities in Mauritius. It houses both the police headquarters and a detention centre where suspects and detainees are held pending legal proceedings.

What this means: Assaults on police officers inside detention facilities are taken seriously under Mauritian law. The formal complaint and ongoing investigation suggest the detainee could face additional criminal charges on top of whatever matter led to his original detention. Incidents of this kind also raise questions about staffing levels during routine inspection rounds and the procedures in place to protect officers working alone with detainees.

Source: ION News