POLICE MONEY CRISIS

Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith. FILE PHOTO
Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith. FILE PHOTO

ACTIVIST Kirk Waithe, who has been at loggerheads with Police Commissioner Gary Griffith over several issues in the past, is now teaming up with the top cop against the Finance Ministry, for money owed to the police service.

Waithe, who leads social activist group Fixin’ T&T posted on the group’s Facebook page: REALLY MINISTER IMBERT??!! Our Police Service has not received one red cent from you to pay for goods and services since March. They owe over $100m to suppliers that are threatening to cut them off!!! But you borrow $200m for a road paving “campaign”?!

Waithe and Griffith have not seen eye to eye on many issues since the latter took up office in August last year. Waithe elaborated on his post to i95FM saying: “Safety and security must be the top priority for any administration. It is the Government’s first job. Our police service being placed in this untenable situation puts every citizen at risk.

“This is deeply disturbing it is the direct contradiction to the narrative perpetuated by (Finance) Minister (Colm) Imbert et al that we have turned the proverbial corner and that our economy is stabilising.”

The money owed, is part of $300 million for goods and services of which $160 million was paid, the most recent payment was done in March. In January, after a Newsday report that the police were running out of money, the Finance Ministry said it received a request for $80 million from Griffith and had released $20 million for equipment, materials, services and supplies. A further $20 million was reportedly scheduled to be released for that purpose in the following two weeks and a balance of $40 million in February.

At a parliamentary Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) meeting on March 28, Griffith reported the police were in dire straits and had not received any funding other than officers’ salaries for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. As a result, the service had been unable to pay bills generated in that period.

Griffith told the committee: “What I am trying to get now is $47 million to pay off bills that the TTPS owes debtors (creditors), approved in fiscal 2017/18 to pay off bills from December 2017-December 2018. I have not even started getting funds for 2018-2019.”

He clarified that whatever was given had been used to pay outstanding debts from 2017/2018 for which money had been approved in 2018, but creditors for 2018/2019 had not been paid because funds was not released, so he had to take some of the funding from the $20 million to offset debts to vendors.

When contacted about a lack of funding, Griffith said he did not want to speak much on the issue but confirmed that the police service is owing over $100 million.

“I have been liaising directly with the Ministry of Finance on this matter and they have promised to rectify the situation.

“It is accurate to say the TTPS is in debt of over 100 million owing to many suppliers. Barring salaries we have not been given funds since March to offset goods and services.”

Newsday called Imbert on the outstanding funds to the police service and his phone rang once and went to voice mail. Text, WhatsApp and Twitter messages were not responded to. Waithe criticized the lack of funding to the police service saying the first job of the government is to secure its citizens.

He added: “Why the rush to enter into these project that require mega spending if those with the responsibilities of our safety and security are not receiving monies to pay their suppliers? The government has a lot of explaining to do. They must do that now ahead of the budget.”

Griffith said he is now running the police service on credit for the last half of the fiscal year.

“This is not excess funds, this is for what was budgeted in the 2018/2019 fiscal year. It is definitely not easy running an organization on credit especially one comprising of 10,000 plus employees, 120 buildings to maintain over 2000 vehicles and ensure that it does not affect the operational effectiveness as some suppliers have threatened to cut their service as it is affecting them.”

“Hopefully it will be rectified in the near future until then as Police Commissioner I give the assurance that I will keep doing what needs to be done to ensure that the service is not greatly affected in our delivery to the public.

I am confident that the Ministry will provide what is needed in the near future.”

In March, $60 million was given to the police bringing the total to $160 million for goods and services out of the $300 million. The remaining $140 million is still owed. In the last budget presentation, the police was given $1 billion.

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"POLICE MONEY CRISIS"

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