The Progressive Labour Party has accused Governor John Rankin of a “whitewash” after it was announced a UK police officer will conduct a peer review of the events of the December 2 protests.

Shadow national security minister Walter Roban said his party had called for a public, independent investigation into the pepper spraying of protesters who assembled outside the House of Assembly, with some blocking entrances.

Government House responded to the statement this afternoon saying it would consider making the report public while avoiding “compromising future police operations” — but that the Governor would first await the outcome of peer review.

Mr Roban said that the news had “all the appearance of being nothing short of a whitewash that the Government is happily watching unfold”.

“The Governor did not even commit to a public disclosure of the findings. That is not in keeping with the best practice he talks of.”

Mr Roban repeated his party’s calls for independence in the investigation, a commitment to the public release of the findings and a commitment to disclose who in authority, outside of the Bermuda Police Service, knew in advance of the deployment, tactical options and equipment used.

Mr Roban said if the Governor did not reconsider “other options”, the party would call upon him to direct that “further persons will not be charged with offences arising out of the December 2 events until the peer review is complete”.

“Anything less than that makes a mockery of the review,” he added. “We remind everyone that it was the Premier who called the police action ‘violence against our citizens.’ With that said, we call upon the Governor and the Government to assure the public that the evidence subject to the peer review will be fully disclosed to the public. Anything less than that simply clouds the transparency and does nothing to restore confidence.”

A Government House spokesperson said: “The Governor is aware of concerns surrounding events of December 2. The Governor will await receipt of the peer review and thereafter would propose to make public findings from the peer review which do not risk compromising future police operations.

“The investigations into complaints against the police and possible illegal activity by protesters are proceeding in parallel. The Governor has no locus to interfere in the DPP’s decisions on bringing prosecutions where there is clear evidence of criminality.

“As for the assertion that persons outside the Bermuda Police Service ordered or knew in advance about the proposed use of force during the demonstrations, the Commissioner of Police has already made clear that that was not the case.”