‘Bad apples’ in Police Service

POLICE Commissioner Trevor Paul yesterday reiterated that he had no real power to deal with corrupt officers, but he could make recommendations to the Police Service Commission (PSC) to dismiss errant officers. He also said like any other organisation, the Police Service had “bad apples.” Paul was addressing concerns raised by the Joint Select Committee (JSC) enquiring into the municipal corporations and service commissions. Paul told the committee the major constraint facing the service was making it a service-oriented organisation, where officers had the right attitude to deal with persons and matters. He said more monetary resources would always be welcome, in addition to better working environments. He suggested that the reason certain initiatives of the service could not be sustained was linked to the commitment of officers, saying they were not constantly motivated.

Deputy Commissioner Glen Roach also acknowledged that officers’ relations with the public left much to be desired, but he noted that recruits were trained in customer service, anger management and community policing. When asked directly if there were “kidnappers” in the Police Service, Paul said like every organisation the service had “good and bad apples.” On the latest developments in the case of ammunition being found in UNC Senator Sadiq Baksh’s water tank, Paul reminded Senator Robin Montano that it was he who told the police he knew who the perpetrators were, and then refused to cooperate. Montano, however, denied that, saying he had told the investigator “Brazier Charles, a corporal at the Southern Division Task Force and ASP Wayne Boyd were the people who planted it.”

Montano also wanted to know from Paul the identity of the minister who had made the call to Tobago police to free the Bajan fishermen. However, Paul said he was unaware it was a minister and Montano should know, since he was the one who made the allegation in Parliament. Montano then named the person as “the Prime Minister, Patrick Manning.” On the Special Crime Unit, Paul said the unit did have a reporting relationship with him, but there was no great interaction. Asked about benchmarks he had set since assuming office, Paul said while he could not say by how much crime would be reduced at this time next year, he assured efforts were being made “that by this time next year to have a society and a community that feel much safer and enjoying a better sense of security.” Meanwhile, Fyzabad MP Chandresh Sharma warned Paul not to be scared of Government, especially the PNM, but to take their jobs more seriously and act independently.