Dominica Defence Force

The Defense Force was disbanded in 1981 following two violent coup attempts. Since then the Commonwealth of Dominica police have been the only security force. The police force, supervised by the Commissioner of Police, includes a Coast Guard unit and a Special Services Unit (SSU) -- a small, paramilitary unit established in 1983 by the Regional Security System of the Eastern Caribbean states.

When crown colony rule ended in the mid-1950s, the police were the sole security and peacekeeping force in the country. Training was conducted in Barbados and Britain, and until the mid-1960s the chief of police was British. During the early years of the Leblanc government, the police functioned primarily as apolitical protectors of the peace. Nonetheless, with the intensification of social unrest in the early 1970s, the government perceived a serious threat to the security of the state.

As a result, the Volunteer Defence Force was established in 1974. This group worked closely with the police and a unit of special constables to comb areas of the island suspected to be hideouts for the Dreads; several violent and fatal clashes ensued between the security forces and the youths.

In November 1975, the full-time Defence Force was established by an act of the House of Assembly to replace the Volunteer Defence Force. As prime minister and minister of security, John assumed direct control over the activities of the Defence Force. As the months went by, it became clear that John had personalized his relationship with, and control over, the Defence Force (he named himself colonel). He also chose to ignore the deteriorating economic situation of the country, instead surrounding himself with cronies from Roseau and resorting to a strategy of confrontation rather than consultation.

After independence on November 3, 1978, the growing arrogance of the prime minister was surpassed only by the sense of elitism that was increasingly associated with the style and actions of the members of the Defence Force. By that time, the main center of training had shifted away from Britain to Guyana, and a growing rift appeared between the Defence Force and the police, who continued to be well trained in Barbados and Britain. For the first time, Dominica was faced with the prospect of a highly politicized military force. It was well armed and well trained, and although it was paid for by the country's taxpayers, it was accountable to persons who were fast being discredited.

Following the removal of the John government in June 1979, the domestic situation remained tense because the Defence Force, widely assumed to favor the ousted regime, had not been disbanded. Further complicating the situation, the country's infrastructure and economy had been destroyed by hurricanes David and Frederick in 1979. Regionally, the New Jewel Movement had overthrown the government of Eric Matthew Gairy in Grenada by military coup on March 13, 1979, and the Anastasio Somoza regime had been defeated by the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. Into this situation came the DFP government on July 20, 1980, soon to be followed by the swearing in of Ronald Reagan as president of the United States and Edward Seaga as prime minister of Jamaica in January 1981.

A series of actions in 1981 shook the stability of the Dominican political system. In February, Dreads kidnapped and killed Edward "Ted" Honychurch, a prominent Dominican and father of governrnent press secretary Lennox Honychurch. In response, Charles declared a state of emergency, and the House of Assembly enacted the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which authorized searches without a warrant and temporary detention.

In March 1981, Charles announced the discovery of a plot to overthrow her government. The plot involved Patrick John, the Defence Force, elements of the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazi groups, United States and Canadian mercenaries, and underworld figures from the United States. The disclosure led to the arrest of John and several senior officers of the Defence Force and resulted in the enactment in April 1981 of a parliamentary measure disbanding the Defence Force. In December former Major Frederick Newton of the Defence Force led an assault against Dominica's police headquarters and prison in an unsuccessful attempt to free John from imprisonment. Newton was convicted of murdering one of the policemen defending the headquarters and was executed in August 1986.

The need for internal security was forcefully established by these dramatic events. Nonetheless, having disbanded the Defence Force, Charles tried to avoid going back on her position that small countries like Dominica did not need more than a police force. Instead, the government created an 80-member Special Service Unit (SSU) within the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force to supplement the capabilities of the 310 regular police personnel. The members of the unit were specially selected by the government and trained and equipped by the United States. The SSU constituted Dominica's contingent of the Regional Security System (RSS). Although criticized by the DLMA, these moves were welcomed by the population.

Government concerns over internal security continued into the mid-1980s. In 1984 the House of Assembly enacted the Treason Act and the State Security Act. The Treason Act mandated the death penalty "for any person who owes allegiance to the State to form an intention to levy war against the State, or to overthrow the Government by force of arms, if such intention is supported by some overt act." In addition, the Treason Act denied bail to anyone arrested under its provisions. The State Security Act stipulated prison sentences for those passing information to an enemy or foreign power or harboring spies. Its most controversial clause granted Dominicans the right to arrest—without a warrant — anyone believed to be violating the State Security Act. The LPD strongly criticized both measures as unconstitutional.