CoP: Tribunals to begin soon

JENSEN LA VENDE

POLICE COMMISSIONER Gary Griffith is hoping to begin tribunals in the coming weeks to bring an end to some 200-plus officers on suspension.

Griffith on Thursday told the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) in Parliament that there were some 300 officers on suspension costing the state $50 million annually.

“Now that we have restructured the legal department, hopefully in the next few weeks we can begin with tribunals. Many may not require tribunals. Some officers may not want to return having left the country and others working elsewhere. It will save some money and is a win win situation,” Griffith said on Friday.

He added that there was a “cop out” by past leaders of the service who failed to send matters to the tribunals instead suspending officers with full, three-quarter and half pay. This has been ongoing for the past 10 years, he said. Griffith said there are proper procedures to dismiss officers but the steps were never followed.

Griffith said the issue was raised repeatedly by the Police Service Social and Welfare Association (PSSWA) and it is unfair to have officers who have not been charged, internally or otherwise, for an offence but are languishing on suspension. He said the Legal Unit established a monitoring arm to look at each of the 300 cases and address them individually.

PSSWA president ASP Michael Seales, also on Friday, said of the 300 officers on suspension between 75 to 85 per cent of them can be immediately reinstated as they have been on suspension for well over two years with no charges. He lamented that some officers are on suspension based merely on suspicion.

The service needs to “man up”, he said and bite the bullet and bring the officers back on duty or wherever applicable have them fired.

“The management system is not consistent with putting their foot down when it comes to treating with rouge elements. The Commissioner of Police has signalled his intentions, so it is up to the others in management to become nimble to respond in the most appropriate way. The public is watching us, so they have to show they are up to it, and have the wherewithal to deal with it,” Seales said adding the service has been harsh towards their own.

Seales said the issues had been raised by the association and nothing was done. He added some tribunals can only punish an officer with a 10-day pay deduction, if found guilty.

Seales added there are some officers who are awaiting the outcome of internal investigations, some whose matters ended in an inconclusive result and others still ongoing. He added that another hurdle will be the lawsuits regarding promotions for those who would have been suspended and therefore bypassed.