Senior city police officer complains: Not enough uniforms for cops

There is a concern among senior police officers that constables leaving the academy don't have enough uniforms, pistol holsters and bulletproof vests, when they take up duty as municipal police.

Supt Glen Charles of the Port of Spain City Police raised the issue while responding to a question from Opposition MP Rudranath Indarsingh, at a meeting of the Joint Select Committee on Local Government Reform at Parliament on Friday morning. Charles said there was a shortage of resources necessary to fight crime. He said, while Commissioner Gary Griffith had assisted in providing equipment for officers, there was still a considerable difference in the availability of equipment for municipal police compared to regular police officers.

"We have no facilities to accomodate an increase in officers. Most of the current Municipal (police) stations are in breach of the OSHA Act because the facilities don't have that kind of accomodation. What we also see is officers coming out of the academy with half uniforms, without even the most essential tools and equipment needed.

"Some of them will come out, they're missing shirts, some of them don't have boots, or caps, or buttons. Simple things like batons and holsters they don't have. Most of the municipalities don't have a bulletproof vest. Vehicles are a problem, firearms are a problem. Who controls the funds to ensure that money is given to make sure we have those things?" Charles asked.

He said while officers were still committed to fighting crime, he admitted that it was difficult to motivate sub-ordinates to carry out their duties with less than adequate safety equipment.

"The older officers have that love and passion, in spite of us not having the requisite tools and equipment we still go out in the communities, but under the current structure it has been failing us. People are going out there and putting their lives at risk, you want them to go out there and perform the necessary tasks but they don't have the equipment, it's very demoralising and it's hard for the senior officers to motivate these officers."

For his part, committee chairman Clarence Rambharat said while he acknowledged the challenges facing the officers and was willing to support a change in structure to support municipal police, he said such a decision would require the support of opposition members.