Guy: Criminals better equipped than police

CRIMINALS have more access to technology than the police, retiring Commissioner of Police Hilton Guy said yesterday during a send-off for him organised by the Police Training College (PTC). However, Guy, 59, was quick to tell the media that the statement was not designed to attack the Government of the day.  In comparing the technology in the police service Guy said, when the police have to get information from the Forensic Science Centre, they have to “wait, wait, wait and wait.”
Guy pointed out that several people including the media were critical of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service regarding the crime solving rate.  But the outgoing Commissioner of Police stated that if the critics were only aware what the police had to go through to solve crime in the country, “we would be viewed as miracle men in the service.” Guy also called for a “vigorous transformation” of the Police Training College, saying that it is time for classrooms there to be custom built and that learning must be facilitated by proper technology.

The “send-off” was held at the PTC, St James Barracks, and included a number of officers including acting Commissioner of Police Everald Snaggs, who took over the position Tuesday, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Administration) Trevor Paul, acting DCP (Operations) Glen Roach, ACPs Winston Cooper and Frank Diaz, acting ACP Curtis Lloyd, Sr supts Gilbert Reyes and Desmond Lambert and others, including the trainees. Guy also called for an onslaught on training, and stated that community policing was designed to change the culture of the organisation. He continued that the service was at times under public criticism, making particular reference to the Ramdhanie (Deochan) inquiry. “But let me warn you that to who much is given, much is required and that is authority and accountability.   I stood and defended officers, but some of the complaints were not capable of defending,” Guy said.

He also spoke directly to the trainees, telling them that they need to be properly guided and instructed to have the right set of values to promote the right integrity. “Your character should be provided on integrity,” Guy said, apologising to the trainees for not speaking to them until yesterday. Guy, Tobagonian by birth, also told the gathering that during his 40 years in the service, “I came, did not conquer, but served and served well.” During his turn, Snaggs said he and Guy joined the service one month apart and that the most memorable working relationship between them was when they were both selected to head the organisation in the United Kingdom in 1962. Snaggs said that he and Guy have been working in the executive since 1992.  He also told the trainees that they have very important work to do in the country to provide and promote security.  Snaggs, who celebrated his 59th birthday Tuesday, subsequently appealed to them to keep focused.