Police Assoc head to CoP: Help transit police

PRESIDENT of the Police Social and Welfare Association Michael Seales is appealing to his boss to consider the plea of the Transit Police Unit (TPU).

Last week Newsday reported that 13 officers wrote twice to Police Commissioner Gary Griffith asking to be absorbed into the police service and complaining of discrimination and other issues the face.

Griffith, who said he had never seen any of the letters, said that the letters were leaked to the media was not a good sign. He added though that he will meet with the group when he receives the letter.

Seales said: “I hope he understands that these people are in dire straits. They want to contribute to the fight against crime, and because they do, they have their goals consistent with that. “

He added that the leaking of the letters was just the “last straw” in the transit police’s bid to be put in a position where they can contribute to the fight against crime. He said leaking the letters to the media was like a dying man taking his final breath and done out of desperation.

The TPU officers wrote to Griffith on November 19, 2018, and January 10. In the January letter, they said: “Dear Mr Griffith, I, (name and regimental number stated) along with the following officers are currently attached to the Transit Police Unit. We are kindly requesting reassignment to any available units/stations within the TT Police Service.”

In the November letter, they said they wanted to meet with Griffith to discuss the overall supervision of the unit, their location at the Vehicle Management Corporation of TT (VMCOTT), Beetham Gardens, Port of Spain, the reassigning of officers and unattached officers.

Griffith, in response to Newsday, said: “I need to see the letter before I comment... I checked throughout and TTPS has at no time received any correspondence.

“It is curious to ascertain if and how the media would get a letter addressed to me and I have not yet seen it. And why send to the media?

“If this was done to put pressure on me to act, they are barking up the wrong tree, because I see it as very immature behaviour, if this is what was really done instead of communicating directly to me.”