Senior Reporter
Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro is defending the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service’s (TTPS) $800 million overtime bill as the service faces intense scrutiny over payments accrued during the three States of Emergency (SoEs) declared between 2024 and 2026.
Contacted yesterday on the issue, Guevarro pointed to what he described as the “dark side” of the demands placed on rank-and-file officers. Addressing the figures reported by the TTPS Finance Branch and Legal Unit, he said the overtime bill was nothing new.
“The TTPS overtime bill is no secret. It’s between $400 million and $500 million annually, and that’s without an SoE,” he said.
While acknowledging the figures are substantial, he argued they reflect the realities of a police service struggling with manpower shortages.
“The TTPS is short-staffed. How do people believe we are able to maintain a heightened presence?” he asked.
Guevarro pointed out that no First Division Officer, including himself as CoP, is entitled to or receives overtime payments.
“My hands are clean. I don’t get a cent of overtime money,” he said.
Officers holding the rank of assistant superintendent of police (ASP) and above are not eligible for overtime.
Defending officers who routinely work extended shifts, Guevarro said the human cost is often overlooked.
“Working extra shifts and longer hours can result in broken homes, failed relationships and children growing up without parents,” he said.
He also urged the public to refrain from spreading “misinformation and false narratives” that could damage the TTPS’s reputation.
TTPS Social and Welfare Association president ASP Ishmael Pitt echoed those concerns, describing the organisation as “woefully understrength” for years.
“A number of officers were being asked to go way beyond what you would have in an ideal situation,” Pitt said.
He praised officers who stepped forward during the SoEs and said their sacrifices played a critical role in maintaining public safety.
“Had it not been for this type of approach, we can well imagine what the crime front would have looked like,” he added.
Meanwhile, former commissioner Gary Griffith has warned Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander against making what he described as inaccurate claims about wastage, corruption or the alleged misappropriation of funds during his tenure.
“Under my leadership, the TTPS reduced overtime abuse and corruption by over $100 million,” Griffith said.
“This was not a minor adjustment; it was a major intervention into one of the most abused areas within the Police Service.”
Explaining the rationale behind the reforms, Griffith claimed some officers had been submitting excessive overtime claims that were routinely approved by senior officers.
“Some officers were allegedly claiming to work 24 hours a day, 30 days a month, earning tens of thousands of dollars in overtime, with those claims being routinely approved by senior officers,” Griffith claimed.
“That was the real wastage. That was where taxpayers’ money was being drained. And I dealt with it.”
He said the reduction in overtime spending was achieved while police visibility across the country nearly doubled.
“This was not merely my personal claim. It was recognised in my annual report, where special commendation was made by the Police Service Commission for reducing overtime expenditure by approximately $100 million while increasing police visibility and operational presence.”
According to Griffith, those savings helped fund a range of initiatives and acquisitions without requiring additional state funding. These included body cameras, tasers, pepper spray, GPS tracking systems for police vehicles, the Gender-Based Violence Unit, the Social Media Monitoring Unit, enhanced dark-web investigative capabilities, kidnapping response technology and the establishment of the Police Marine Branch.
Griffith also took aim at Alexander’s current anti-crime strategy.
“In comparison, the present anti-crime plan under Alexander’s watch appears to be SoE, SoE and more SoE,” he said.
He challenged Alexander to explain why overtime costs had risen after previously being reduced under his administration.
“Under Alexander’s watch, not only has that $100 million cost returned, but he is now requesting a further $100 million. That amounts to a massive $200 million swing. That is not reform. That is regression,” Griffith said.
“So instead of making reckless and misleading statements about my tenure, Minister Alexander needs to explain to the media and the people of Trinidad and Tobago why the exact overtime abuse that was brought under control is now being allowed to return, with extras.”
