Body cameras for task force police

Police Commissioner Gary Griffith PHOTO BY JEFF MAYERS -
Police Commissioner Gary Griffith PHOTO BY JEFF MAYERS -

ONE thousand body cameras will soon be issued to police officers in the five Divisional Task Force units. Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith said when the cameras arrive they will be sent to task force units in the Port of Spain, Western, Northern, North-Eastern and Central Divisions.

No date for the arrival of the equipment was given. Griffith made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon during a press conference at the Police Administration Building, Port of Spain.

He said, “The body camera will be mandatory. It will be placed in the regulations to ensure those police officers who come out on a patrol must immediately switch it on. But the public needs to know the body cameras will not be the be-all and end-all.”

Audio and footage from the cameras will be used in future investigations. He said this will help in restoring confidence in the police and ultimately strengthen the relationship between police and the public.

Responding to a question on his plans to restore confidence between police and citizens after tension caused by the June 27 incident in Morvant where police shot and killed three men, Griffith gave a commitment to take action against any police in breach of the law but vowed to protect his officers at all costs.

“The reason I want to push for body cameras is to ensure, when my police officers are wrongfully accused, that the police officers can use this as evidence to protect themselves. If police officers make mistakes they’ll build and learn from their mistakes,” he said.

Comments

"Body cameras for task force police"

More in this section