Griffith: No division on security patrols

COMMISSIONER of Police (CoP) Gary Griffith denied any “division” over the Government’s plan to hire four private security firms to patrol selected neighbourhoods. He addressed the issue at Thursday’s virtual media conference by the Ministry of Health to provide information on TT’s progress in dealing with the covid19 pandemic.

The proposal was first announced in a Ministry of National Security statement on Tuesday, but rescinded abruptly the following day by Young himself at the same virtual media conference. Young said citizens indicated they feel safe already. He denied the climbdown was due to a social media backlash.

Young said the idea of security patrols had been done at the “urging” of the police support and in consultation with the TT Defence Force.

However, the next day Griffith in a statement said neither he nor the police had “reignited” such an idea of a Community Comfort Patrol, begun in 2014 by the then People’s Partnership government. Griffith on Thursday downplayed the matter.

“Based on persons just trying to change words to believe there is difference in opinion, it is not. The TTPS, we are a very professional organisation.

“As COP there was a headline that stated the police reignited private security. That was not true. The police cannot reignite, the police cannot authorise, the police cannot fund such a situation.

“However it does not mean the TTPS was not part of this process. It does not mean the CoP was not aware. We were aware. I have my views on it and I saw value to it. Unfortunately it went in a different direction.”

He quipped that everyone in TT seems to be a security expert.

“I have a little bit of knowledge in security. I can tell you this is not an easy country to secure, especially when we have a situation of a virtual war zone out there.

“All we were trying to do is get additional resources to assist the TTPS so we can mobilise and utilise the 85 emergency response patrols, our task force and special operational units to go out into the hot spot areas.”

Alluding to the private security patrols, Griffith said anything would have assisted the police, but they will now stick with the original position of having no security patrols.

Also at the press conference on Thursday, Griffith touched on the issue of fake news, saying this can be a very difficult situation for the police.

He pointed to claims on social media that there had been looting on Charlotte Street in Port of Spain, adding this never happened. He said there were reports of burglaries in the area that police were investigating.

Griffith also told supermarkets they were not limited to allowing only five customers at one time in their premises, but they have a responsibility to customers both inside and outside to maintain social distancing. He said the number of customers allowed inside would depend on the size of the establishment.

The CoP asked the public to help the police, who he said are not the enemy.

Griffith said among the 8,614 officers, including SRPs, in the TTPS, he has shifted many from administrative units to operational roles. Among their roles, the police monitor lists of people served quarantine orders by Ministry of Health, he said.