Senior Reporter
Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro is cleaning house, starting with the firing of 17 police officers.
The announcement by Guevarro that the appointments of 17 officers had been revoked reportedly left the law enforcement community reeling yesterday.
Acknowledging the surprise the firings would have generated among the workforce and the public, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in charge of Administration, Junior Benjamin, said they are part of the thrust to provide an improved T&T Police Service.
He said, “This forms part of the zero-tolerance approach by the TTPS in dealing with matters of indiscipline and corruption. It is one of the things we are doing to ensure the standard of the TTPS remains above what is expected, so that the public can see a more improved police service.”
He reminded all officers, “You are not above the law.
“You took an oath to operate at all times with fairness and impartiality. That is what the public expects from us.”
The shocking and unprecedented move, which was confirmed via a release posted to the TTPS’s Facebook page, did not reveal the reasons behind the revocations, officers’ ranks or which divisions and/or units they were attached to.
The release read, “This notice is issued for public information and record in accordance with the administrative directions of the Commissioner of Police.”
According to one officer yesterday, the revocation meant the 17 had immediately ceased to be police officers, and would now revert to being civilians.
“Whatever they did had to be really, really bad,” the officer indicated.
News of the firings came hours after the TTPS issued a recruitment notice on social media, inviting eligible members of the public to apply to join the organisation.
Contacted for comment on the revocations, former commissioner Gary Griffith recalled the push-back he received when he attempted to address the issue of serving police officers coming before the court, charged with a violent crimes including murder, rape, and kidnapping.
Saying those officers they should have been fired immediately then, he revealed, “The Police Welfare Association fought me down tremendously because they still said it was innocent until proven guilty.”
Griffith said he had argued then that officers who were found innocent could be reinstated and compensated.
This situation, he acceded, “could be something totally different.”
He clarified, “This is not about officers being charged.”
Throwing his support behind Guevarro, he said, “I agree with the commissioner. It is totally unacceptable where you have hundreds of police officers suspended indefinitely, getting paid for it, working elsewhere, so it looks as if you are benefitting from doing the wrong thing and it is costing the taxpayers tens upon tens of millions of dollars annually and you are not getting value for money.”
He said the move could save the taxpayers “lots of money” and urged the public not to speculate in the absence of further facts.
Efforts to reach Guevarro, former CoP Mc Donald Jacob, and TTPS Social and Welfare Association (TTPSSWA) ASP Ishmael Pitt president were unsuccessful.
BOX
Fired officers
1. Tamara Boyce
2. Vijay Singh
3. Elliot Chin
4. Joanne Jadoo
5. Owen Hem-Lee
6. Jilann Holder
7. Kizzy Thomas
8. Karlon Murray
9. Christopher Gobin
10. Michael Alcala
11. Carlos Thorne
12. Devon Basant
13. Akiel Smith
14. Desron Dillon
15. Shaun Reid
16. Joff Awong
17. Daryl Baksh
