Badman police may be in hot water

Police Commissioner Gary Griffith and PSSWA president Michael Seales at the launch of the I Support our Service campaign SouthPark Mall, San Fernando on March 15. FILE PHOTO
Police Commissioner Gary Griffith and PSSWA president Michael Seales at the launch of the I Support our Service campaign SouthPark Mall, San Fernando on March 15. FILE PHOTO

THE absence of a social media policy in the police service does not automatically mean that police officers can say and do what they want on social media, according to ASP Michael Seales, president of the Social and Welfare Association.

Seales spoke to Newsday last Saturday after screenshots of Facebook comments were shared with Newsday of a police officer using obscene language towards people who criticised his song. The song, Bad Man Police, is sung by Kevin “Neppy K” Neptune.

After releasing the song, Neptune, in his police uniform and in a police vehicle, recorded a video of himself and his partner. The unidentified officer is seen showing off his automatic rifle after Neptune says, “One squeeze and all jump out,’ while his song is played in the background.
Neptune received criticism for the song and the video, and in response posted another video saying the song was designed to “distract the youths” from the gun tunes.

He added that the song is an alternative to “gun tunes” and ended his video by saying if anyone is in need of a police officer, he is the one they would want to come to their aid.
As he continued to receive criticism, Neptune began cursing the critics. The posts of his being verbally abusive to others were captured and shared.
Asked about the use of obscene language, which is still illegal, Seales said that is an offence that could lead to the officer’s dismissal.
“No, there is no social media policy for police officers. (But) they can’t do anything that can bring disrepute to the police service, so once you run afoul of that and bring discredit to the police service, then you in problems.
“Obscene language is a given, you can’t use obscene language...If someone reports that to the commissioner, then he in trouble. That is regarded as discreditable conduct, and he can lose his job for that. That is how serious it is,” Seales said.
The screenshots were sent to Police Commissioner Gary Griffith on Saturday and he was asked what, if anything, will be done with regard to the officer’s being verbally abusive. Griffith did not respond.
At a media briefing last Friday, asked about the song, Griffith said: “The song itself, you can see it, depending on how you look at it, it may not be the best worded song.

“I think what the officer was trying to do was to link it to young persons so that they could understand what it is that can happen if you don’t turn away from a life of crime.”
He said the song may not have been the best opportunity to do it.

“The fact of the matter is...everyone will have a different view as to how they try to portray a message. It may not be the best message. The fact of the matter is, let us put focus that the police officers are under fire out there, and what we have seen is that many individuals spend more time trying to protect and look after the well-being of criminal elements. I am looking after the well-being of law-abiding citizens.”

The chorus to the song goes:
Badman police badman police drill them
Badman police badman police drill them
Badman police badman police drill them
How you a badman and kill little children?
Badman police bad man police drill them
Badman police badman police drill them
Badman police badman police drill them
Execution no time fi go hang them

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