The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service has been in the news of late for some of the reasons current Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith detests – misbehaviour in office on the one hand and police-involved shootings where the circumstances were somewhat questionable.
The existence of rogue officers is always an issue that should be dealt with expeditiously, since it affects society’s view of and trust in the TTPS, which has taken a beating in the credibility department over the years. That the TTPS cannot seem to shrug off this troubling issue despite the concerted efforts of those within its hierarchy and those outside must therefore concern all citizens.
Police-involved killings have again come into sharp focus in recent weeks due to the regularity of such events and some of the conflicting information shared by the sides – the victims’ families and the officers involved – in some of the incidents.
This conversation leads directly to the importance of the Police Complaints Authority, a body now into its 11th year of existence but which cannot now claim to have made any real impact in making the public feel any better about its ability to deal with the issues under its aegis.
When the PCA was launched just over 10 years ago under its first director Gillian Lucky, its aim was to give citizens the right to access independent resolutions in complaints about serious police misconduct. At that time, increased independent oversight of police activity and conduct was seen as critical to holding the TTPS accountable and, more importantly, restoring the public’s trust in the system of justice.
But over a decade later, current PCA director David West is still fighting to get the resources he needs and the teeth, via significant legislation, to do more to ensure this goal is achieved.
Yet, from the recent incident in which two suspects held in the murder of court worker Andrea Bharatt died while in custody, to the shooting death of an Icacos fisherman last week, it is clear the PCA must be given greater authority to expand its oversight of the TTPS’ operations.
At the moment, the TTPS’ Professional Standard Bureau acts as the only unit which can truly access the information it needs to investigate officers. But citizens are well aware of the flaws of such a system. The PCA was conceptualised to provide a layer of independent oversight for the TTPS’ operations. However, it has effectively been castrated because it neither has the power to compel the TTPS to cooperate with its investigations nor work more collaboratively with the DPP’s Office in its goal to root out corrupt practices.
There are currently enough examples in the United States of what can occur if the public continues to lose trust in the transparency of operations within the TTPS when it comes to punishing officers for perceived wrongdoing. As such, this media house hopes that the Attorney General will place this critical area of the country’s governance on the front-burner.
