Griffith clashes with Abu Bakr on social media

POLICE COMMISSIONER Gary Griffith is once again defending his police officers after a post by Fuad Abu Bakr likened a police killing in Trinidad and Tobago to one in the US that sparked worldwide outrage.

Abu Bakr, who has been in the news cycle for days after he announced he had been poached to join the ruling PNM posted: “The Law must obey the Law. The Police are not JUDGE, JURY AND EXECUTIONER. They must respectfully discharge their SERVICE and duty without prejudice and bias. A lot of training needs to be done in the TTPS and much of it is psychological. #blacklivesmatter #poorlivesmatter”

Abu Bakr also attached a photograph of Griffith standing over the body of Michael Thomas, who was shot dead by police last year. Thomas, a suspect in the murder of PC Nicholas Victor, was shot dead by the Special Operation Response Team led by Griffith in Valencia in December. Victor was killed while working security at a Caroni grocery on Christmas Eve and his gun was stolen. A photograph of Griffith looking at Thomas's body in the hospital circulated on social media and this was the picture Abu Bakr used.

Abu Bakr posted next to it a screen grab from a video of Minneapolis’s Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck. Chauvin is accused of murdering Floyd after a video circulated of him kneeling on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe.

In response to the post Griffith said: “Train yourself first. Let it start by trying to join groups that you are invited to rather than storming,” snapping at Abu Bakr’s public claim that he was invited to join the PNM to contest the Port of Spain South seat, a claim Dr Keith Rowley, leader of the party and Prime Minister, has denied.

Griffith added: “Someone unarmed being killed by four officers in comparison to a cold blooded murderer who blew away the brains of one of my police officers and he tried the same two days later and met his fate. And you try to compare the two. It says so much about your leadership and character. Don’t use the TTPS as an avenue to make yourself relevant. Storming parties is enough. You would have good reason to have issues with the police. The branch does not fall far from the tree. You want to compare what took place in Minneapolis to our country?- then go back 30 years when terrorists took over our Parliament and killed innocent unarmed people, including a police officer, in cold blood, , just like George Floyd. Let us hear your views on that. Then talk.”

Abu Bakr also posted that he supports good policing and they have a difficult and essential job. He added: “Respect to all the Good officers. Criticism can help if you consider it Maturely!”