Parliament hears of indiscipline in Police Service

President of the Police Service Social Welfare Association Insp Michael Seales yesterday spoke of indiscipline as being one of many challenges facing the service.

Seales made this remark as he was questioned by a Parliamentary Joint Select Committee chaired by MP Fitzgerald Hinds and which is looking into the findings of a report authored by a police manpower audit committee. He said the issue of indiscipline has never been properly addressed among the ranks of the police service.

Raising the issue of extra-duty where uniformed officers have been sighted at parties hosted by reputed gang leaders, Hinds said these reports indicated officers were seen drinking and revelling with patrons. In his response, Seales said the issue had been brought to the attention of the association which has adopted a zero tolerance approach to internal corruption.

“I would have had the opportunity where an officer with that same extra duty issue in the western division and I called the Commissioner to tell him about it. There is a saying that some first division officers are sacred cows, meaning you cannot touch them, but we (the association) are saying we will not have it.”

He added such indiscipline has weakened the morale of the police service and recalled officers who have been hesitant to report instances of corruption or misconduct to the executive arm of the service and have instead preferred to report such matters to the PSWA. Responding to Hinds, Seales said any member of the public with information of police misconduct can report such behaviour to the association, but said its purpose was not to undermine the authority of the executive arm of the police service.

“What you have because of the fear factor involved of what might be a reprisal, persons are afraid to speak out. Up to today (yesterday) an officer came to me with a very serious matter and I would have asked him if he was sure to go through with this, but I encouraged him all the same because he came to me in confidence and I will forward that information to the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) in confidentiality.”