Police service needs serious evaluation

THE EDITOR: On January 2, I was crossing the intersection between Broadway and South Quay. The traffic in front of me was at a standstill waiting to move. The traffic on the other side was moving so I waited. The officer directing the traffic then signalled the traffic to halt. I looked at him to see if he would signal the traffic to proceed on my side. He didn’t so I assumed it was okay to cross. While I was proceeding across the “zebra crossing” and three feet away from the other side the officer on that side told me to wait. I told him I am almost to the pavement and I was thinking what does he want me to do stand in the middle of the road? I proceeded to go about my business when he grabbed me. He said, “Come here!” So I asked him what he wanted.

“Don’t pull away from me!” he replied. Immediately I sized up the situation, the sun was hot, he was frustrated and angry. So I folded my arms and complied to avoid being arrested. He stood there for a while and said I was impeding the flow of traffic. He continued to hold on to my arm still talking, and even while crossing I was thinking of the schoolgirl beaten by an officer with a phone receiver and the woman beaten by an officer in front the bank in Port-of-Spain because of the frustration of police officers. Eventually the policeman calmed down and allowed me to leave. I told him thanks and to have a good evening.
There are two problems facing the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. I want to go back to where the officer said I was impeding the flow of traffic. It is the fault of the police officers. They do a lousy job of directing the traffic on mornings. This can be seen on Wrightson Road, South Quay and especially the Long Circular route where every morning I have to face the congestion caused by police officers. The other problem is that the Police Service needs a serious system where they can evaluate officers psychologically, and to deal with problems of abuse which they might have been subjected to before joining the service.

C S HILL
San Fernando