Cuffie: Don’t be a rogue cop

AVOID corruption.

That was one of the main messages Rev Dr Winston Cuffie gave yesterday at an interfaith service hosted by the TT Municipal Police Service at the Marabella South Secondary School.

Addressing the gathering which included trainees, Cuffie said any type of power brought temptations with it. Referring to the expression, power corrupts but absolute power corrupts absolutely, Cuffie said: “There is nobody who can govern you as a person but you.”

Saying rogues can be found anywhere, from the church to the family and the Police Service, Cuffie said some police get “contaminated somewhere along the line” in the course of their duties.

“This is not speaking condescendingly to anybody here. You have rogues in the church. We know that Jesus had Judas. You have rogues in the Teaching Service. You have rogues in the Police Service. You have everywhere. You even have rogues in the family.”

Cuffie, of Miracle Ministries International, was the main speaker at the service. The theme was “United we stand, divided we fall.”

The word police, he said, is derived from the word policy. Police must, therefore, ensure that policy is observed and enforced.

He suggested that police always work as a team.

“There is no ‘I’ in the word team. The word team as an acronym is together each achieve more. You multiply your potential, your effectiveness by team efforts and team collaborations. You have a very sensitive role to play, a critical role to play and your values must never be underestimated.”

The Municipal Police Choir sang several songs among them You Raised Me Up, Kal Ho Naa Ho and United We Stand. Their performances earned standing ovations.

Cuffie compared policing and pastoral work saying both occupations required people to be gentle or aggressive as the situations demanded. “Policing is not very different from pastoring. Jesus was lamb (of God) and lion (of Judah). If we have discipline, we will have production and tolerance will blend in. We often tell people in the church to not only read the Bible, but live the Bible.”