Don’t fall prey to corruption

A Total of 107 men and women who would now begin their training to become municipal police constables were yesterday warned by Rural and Local Government Minister Kazim Hosein not to fall prey corruption practices within the Police Service.

He told the recruits they must preserve their good characters because a good name was important.

At the time, the minister was speaking at the opening ceremony of the municipal police induction training programme held at the Marabella South Secondary School yesterday. Hosein said corruption was rampant within the corporations across the country. “Just yesterday, a new incident of fraud arose at the San Juan Laventille corporation.”

That corporation is one of many, he said, as there were also reports of fraudulent cases in the Arima, San Fernando, Tunupuna and Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo corporations.

“This is a stain and must be eradicated. We want out municipal police to be more involved in weeding out these corrupt elements in our corporations.”

He told the recruits, as municipal police, they must be more directly involved in fighting such crimes. He said the municipal police must step in and partner with the fraud squad and other appropriate agencies to eradicate fraud within the corporations. “As municipal police constables, you will be role models in your community. God gives us two ears and one mouth so listen to everyone and respond carefully and, as police, you must uphold the ideals of the service.”

Hosein said he was disappointed to see only 107 recruits when there was supposed to be 200. He said the Service Commission must take such blame and begin to clean up their act. Hosein said a lack of dialogue between the relevant parties within the commission had contributed to the 93 recruits not being present as they were still awaiting the call to begin their training.