It appears that Leader of the Opposition Dr Peter Phillips will not be recanting statements he made earlier this week that the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) disarms police in the streets despite strong denial from the oversight body.

Head of the Commission Terrence Williams has since challenged the veracity of Phillips's comment, saying it was untrue.

Asked to clarify his comments yesterday at a press conference at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition in Kingston, Phillips said that he would not be drawn into an argument over the matter with the commissioner of INDECOM or anyone else. "Suffice it to say that we have received reports from members of the security forces that the circumstances of their treatment have left them feeling that there is an imbalance in the approach.

"I would think that in the exercise of any authority by any head of any agency, the suggestions that there might be less than perfection in the operations of agencies (since we are all humans) would not brook such strenuous opposition but rather an enquiry as to whether we could combine to improve both perception and reality," Phillips reasoned.