SABOTAGE, SILENCE and SOLUTIONS

The unfortunate development of the Police Service being forced to resort to such unacceptable measures, as they felt that their concerns were not being taken seriously, should never have reached to such a breaking point.As a previous serving member of the Protective Services, I am fully aware of the critical need to ensure that the needs, welfare and concerns of troops is of fundamental importance to ensure that they perform at optimum level, hence my continued and constant dialogue with them during my tenure as Minister of National Security.

However, the virtual sabotage of the country by a few who conveniently authorized erratic road blocks all over the country at convenient times, hence virtually shutting down the country, must be condemned fully and disciplinary action on those responsible must be an option to prevent a re occurrence.

The flimsy red herring statement being made by the TTPS Welfare Association, shows either their misleading perception that the public is either naive to believe that their reckless action is considered as "Total Policing, or that they are highly untrained in tactical law enforcement , as they are not aware that the basic role and function for a successful road block is the element of surprise, and for it to be short and sharp for effective results, as anything longer than 15 mins, which I constantly stated as Minister of National Security, provides nothing other than causing undue burden and inconvenience to the law abiding citizens, or was this the intention in the first place to prove a point ?

To now state that this was done to ensure that the public is protected from criminal elements, it seems a vast contrast to just a few weeks ago when the same Police Welfare Association was showing reluctance to conduct basic duties during the Carnival weekend.

It that is the case, it means that those involved in this clandestine act have totally breached their code of conduct of protecting and serving with pride and should be disciplined accordingly. This irresponsible action serves no purpose other than to further erode the possible trust and good working relationship between the public and the Police which as Minister of National Security, I was trying my best to bridge that gap, but this action by certain elements in the Police Service, have now caused serious damage to the image of the TTPS, both locally and internationally.

However, this unfortunate development should never have reached to this level, as it is not just the actual action by certain elements of the TTPS that need to be reviewed, but also several other factors that should have taken place before, during and after this unfortunate situation.

1. Need for a more pro active approach :

This was a ticking time bomb that was known weeks ago, so there should have been a much more proactive approach by the relevant authorities to look into the concerns of the TTPS in their wage negotiation and not just bank on the CPO handling the matter. Dialogue and mutual understanding and respect are critical tools in negotiations, and it is apparent that not enough of this was done, hence the TTPS felt that this was a last resort to prove a point.2.The focus on the actual issue- Police Officers must be better paid:

As much as many, if not all would condemn the TTPS fully for this action, that borders on treason if military personnel had acted in similar manner, it goes in tandem with the statements made by Commissioner of NYPD Bill Bratton when he was in this country, whereby he said that Police Officers must be properly paid, otherwise you would only get a Tool or a Mule. He also said that you get what you pay for. Based on the actions seen this morning by certain elements of the TTPS, Commissioner Bratton is correct, as we are indeed getting what we pay for, so we are not paying enough.It is not good enough to just expect the CPO, who is only seeing a budget and comparing it to other Public Servants, to understand the critical importance of properly paying persons who put their lives on the line daily.A properly paid Police Officer ensures a more effective and less corrupt Police Officer, so everyone wins. There was a project earmarked with both Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Commissioner Brattons previous Company to revamp the TTPS, via an audit to restructure the Service, hence ensuring better results and more effective policing, which would have included increasing their salaries and other entitlements, and it is hoped that this project is not shelved, as many others have been since my departure.3.Disciplinary action must be an option to those responsible

In my research done to ensure better policing, inclusive of NYPD, as much as better conditions are important for those willing to protect and serve, at no time must anyone forget that their duty to their country must come first and they cannot , ever , hold a country to ransom.There were four basic principles that I used to ensure good law enforcement, which was - Management, Leadership, accountability and measuring performance.Based on this reckless behavior, those individuals concerned have failed miserably as it relates to measuring their performance and accountability. Hence they should be made accountable and disciplinary taken if they further pursue such actions..

In the same manner that the Police Welfare Association are demanding higher wages, and rightly so, as their duty entails much more than is expected by many others, then they are also expected to show a greater degree of discipline and patriotism, which some may have broken and those who authorized this should be held accountable, so the example be set to prevent such further action.This is not by any means an extreme measure, as in many North American and European cities, Police Officers are highly paid but also fired for just not performing in reducing crime, which we have not started as yet, so if one engages in causing a breakdown in the management of the country, then strict disciplinary action should be an option.

The ridiculous red herring to cover their actions by virtually shutting down the country cannot be trivialized.I am certain that the Minister of National Security would have spoken to the Commissioner of Police, upon which the CoP has the authority to immediately demand that such road blocks be shut down and controlled only via the TTPS Headquarters .Failure by any Police Officer to disregard the directive of the CoP after this , relates to nothing other than blatantly failing to adhere to the orders of a superior Officer , upon which grounds for immediate removal from the Service become expected.The Commissioner has the grounds to hire and fire, and this is the ideal opportunity for him to use his authority if they pursue such actions.

4. A MORE EFFECTIVE MEDIA UPDATE AND PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE SITUATION :

At times, such unfortunate developments would happen, however it is vital that when it does, that the public be updated and made aware of what is taking place, what is being done about it and what they, the citizens should do, so that the perception of fear and panic does not step in, which also leads to wrong decisions being made and inaccurate information being passed.Several hours after the meaningless road blocks took place to virtually shut down the country, not a word was heard from the relevant agencies, inclusive of the National Operations Centre, which I personally formulated for such situations.The ball was badly dropped in communication, and the public was left wondering if they should return home, if the Police had taken control of the country, or if the nation was under any form of unrest.There are specific templates that I left, to guide those to ensure that the public would be given real time information so they can be guided accordingly. Unfortunately, it was not used.

Additionally , there has to be a breakdown in Intelligence, upon which those Agencies must also have some questions to answer, as it is impractical that the relevant Intelligence Agencies were not aware that thousands of Police Officers were being assembled and rostered throughout the country from5 amto conduct what can be described as the largest Police Excise in our history other than during State of Emergencies, and no one knew about it, or if they did know, they did not bring it to the attention of the Minister of National Security, as he was unaware of this development until it commenced.Mistakes were made, and it is hoped that we learn from these mistakes, to ensure there is not a repeat and if it does happen, that the immediate action steps taken are done in real time, as rightfully demanded by the Trinidad and Tobago citizens.