Lead Editor-Politics
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is pleased that the head of the Municipal Police Service was sent on administrative leave, as she lamented that for months, corruption was allowed to fester at the San Fernando Municipal Police Station.
On Tuesday, Assistant Commissioner of Police Surrendra Sagramsingh was sent on administrative leave as part of the probe into the murder of acting corporal Anusha Eversley and the theft of guns and ammunition at the San Fernando Municipal Police Station on Sunday.
However, it has been confirmed that it was done as a precautionary measure and not a finding of misconduct or liability on his part.
Despite that, speaking with reporters yesterday at South Park, the Prime Minister said that for too long misconduct at the San Fernando Municipal Police Station went undetected.
“They have removed the head of the organisation, Municipal Police Mr Sagaramsingh, I think he was, because that has not been happening today. We discovered it on that day. I think one of the officers in an interview talked about over eight months, about eight months that has been going on. So there has not been proper supervision of what is happening in the municipal police.”
The Prime Minister added, “I think the TTPS and the Commissioner of Police are doing a fantastic job. They work very quickly.”
Meanwhile, Persad-Bissessar is apologising to the Estate Police Association (EPA), if her national statement last Sunday, issued after the female officer’s murder, caused any offence.
EPA president Deryck Richardson said the Prime Minister’s attempt to distinguish between a Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) officer and a Trinidad and Tobago Municipal Police Service (TTMPS) officer created the impression that she was seeking to diminish the role and value of municipal police.
Speaking during a Facebook live discussion with the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) and the National Transformation Alliance (NTA), Richardson posited, “I am extremely disappointed in the response by the Prime Minister to what it is happening. That is a frontal attack on law enforcement, because simply put, the municipal police are law enforcement.”
He added, “We are in a state of emergency, and these persons are alleged to have decided that they can do this kind of crime. What is the response we got? Well, it is not really the TTPS; it is the TTMPS. All of that is water under the bridge, because we have about 60 firearms and about 4,000 rounds of ammunition outside there.”
On Sunday evening, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar said the incident at the San Fernando Municipal Police Station was not an external attack on national security forces, but an internal breach within the TTMPS.
She emphasised that the TTPS is separate from the TTMPS and its officers were not involved. She added the TTPS and the Ministry of Homeland Security will support the TTMPS and the San Fernando City Corporation in the investigation and efforts to recover stolen items.
Richardson countered, saying municipal police have the same expectations and responsibilities as TTPS officers.
“And if we have a leadership that is saying to us that, okay, it is all right for that to happen because it didn’t happen, that is, of course, diminishing the value of the work that the municipal police do. And it does not give the municipal police, or even the state police, the full confidence that the state police values your work, and the politicians does not value your work that you do to protect whoever, whatever, wherever you are.”
The TTPS is a national body with countrywide jurisdiction over major crimes, while the TTMPS operates within municipal boundaries. Both have powers of arrest and similar training, but serve different roles. The TTPS handles national security and serious offences, while the TTMPS focuses on community policing and enforcing local by-laws.
Guardian Media told Persad-Bissessar about Richardson’s concern, and she said, “First of all, it was not my intention to insult anyone. Coming through the social media and otherwise, there was a sort of a disconnect between the municipal and the TTPS. So that was just to clarify that. But everything else I said in the statement, I stand by those words. And I’m sorry if he’s offended. Unfortunately, we can’t please everybody every single day of my life.”
Defends Govt’s performance on crime
And despite 111 recorded homicides so far this year, in the midst of a State of Emergency, the Prime Minister is defends her Government’s performance to reduce crime.
However, she acknowledged that there is more work to be done.
“We have some achievements, as I say, much more to do. Murders down by 42 per cent. Serious crimes down by 30 per cent. Crimes down from 600 to whatever it was at the end of last year. And again, this year, so far, from last year to now, that too is down. So, I am very happy about that.”
But the Prime Minister added, “I’m not overjoyed because I think there’s still much more to do.”
She said her Government will need more time to turn things around.
“It’s 120 months of neglect that we have to correct. We’ve just had 12 months.”
Persad-Bissessar pledged to talk more about her anti-crime initiatives on Saturday for her party’s one-year in government celebrations.
One of the things she said her government is working on is reforming firearms legislation.
“We are actively working on that together with the Law Reform Commission. I’ve asked for research to be done on what’s happening in other Commonwealth jurisdictions so that we can get our models to follow. Yes, we will reform it.”
