Griffith urges police: Be flexible with the public

Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith this morning urged all police officers to show fairness and flexibility to the public as they carry out their duties on a daily basis and said the concept of a "zero-tolerance approach to crime fighting" should only be applied to serious offences.

Speaking at a breakfast meeting with the Greater Tunapuna Chamber of Industry and Commerce (GTCIC), at the Centre of Excellence Macoya today, Griffith said while it was necessary for the police to carry out their duties to the best of their abilities, they should be flexible and fair when interacting with the public especially in relation to traffic offenses.

"There is this concept that the police service must be hard and fast in everything and I’ve always heard this word of ‘zero tolerance,’ there must be tolerance. There will be situations where you have to show tolerance.

"When we do these things it takes away public trust, it can be seen as entrapment, or us as the police not understanding the situation, Griffith said. He said he is not not trying to condone wrong doing, but there must be times where police officers show some kind of flexibility.

Griffith said, "If someone is taking their wife to the hospital for an emergency and you're driving on the priority bus route, and you're stopped and given a ticket– to me that is the height of stupidity by any police officer. What is expected is the police give an escort to your vehicle and that is the type of policing I intend to develop in the near future."