Following a year which saw record numbers of police officers being charged with crimes, a religious leader yesterday called upon police to root out all corrupt members from within its ranks in an effort to restore the public’s trust and confidence in the Police Service.
Monsignor Christian Pereira made the call while delivering the sermon at T&T Police Service (TTPS) annual inter-faith service held at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, in Port-of-Spain, yesterday.
“While you are busy and exhausted as you are looking for criminals, corruption and lawlessness, it is right within your midst and is festering,” Pereira said.
Pereira quoted verses from Lord Kitchener’s Jericho and King Austin’s Who Will Guard The Guards to illustrate the point that the public’s perception of the TTPS had been waning since the 1970’s due to the conduct of some of its members.
“Your behaviours and attitudes cannot become like those who you are protecting us from,” he said, as he appealed to police officers in the congregation to help rekindle the public’s trust and confidence in the TTPS.
Pereira referenced the story of Judas’ betrayal of Jesus and his subsequent suicide, as he called upon corrupt officers to repent and change their ways even if their activities go unnoticed by their superiors.
“You may get away but you cannot think you would escape the watchful eye of the Almighty,” he said.
While he acknowledged that honest police officers may be demoralised by their corrupt colleagues, Pereira encouraged those present to be resolute in their bid to reduce crime in T&T.
“Find an avenue to cultivate a new hope for the people of T&T,” he said.
According to statistics released by the TTPS last November, 150 officers, varying in rank from constable to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), had been suspended by the TTPS after being charged with criminal offences over the past four years.
The offences which the officers are accused include murder, misbehaviour in public office, perverting the course of public justice, sedition, assault and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Speaking after two officers were arrested for using a marked police vehicle to rob a Chinese businessman in Claxton Bay in November, acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams assured citizens that the TTPS was continually working on removing rogue members, whose activities tarnish the reputation of the organisation.
“I want to give the public the assurance that the TTPS is staffed with a majority of officers who are honest, law-abiding and committed to fulfilling their obligations and oath in the noble profession of policing.
In an interview with this newspaper late last year, Police Complaints Authority (PCA) director David West revealed that between 2014 and 2015, his organisation received 362 complaints made against police officers and 367 between 2015 and this year, a marginal increase.
West said: “For public confidence to be restored, it’s for the public to see the alleged offenders, if when tried and if found guilty, they are swiftly removed from the service.” He also suggested stronger criteria for recruiting officers and psychometric testing for new recruits.
Yesterday’s service was supposed to be followed by a parade through the streets of Port-of-Spain to the Police Administration Building on Sackville Street, however, the street procession was cancelled due to heavy rainfall.