Cop forced to repeat internship to become attorney

A police officer who expected to be called to the Bar as an attorney at the next admission ceremony has had his certificate of fitness withdrawn by the Law Association.

On Friday, the Law Association told the acting registrar of the High Court, Kerri-Ann Oliverie Stuart, that the officer, a corporal, who expected to be admitted to practice at the end of the month, had not completed his six-month full-time in-service training.

Because of this, the LATT withdrew his certificate of fitness and informed the registrar.

The officer has since accused some of his colleagues of accessing his personal file from the police human resource branch and photocopying certain documents, sending them to the Law Association making accusations about him.

The decision to withdraw the certificate of fitness brings into sharp focus the alternative route of admission to practice for prospective law students.

TT nationals who are called to the bar in England must do a full-time six month attachment at a local law chambers before being admitted to the Bar locally.

The alternative route for law students who do not attend the Hugh Wooding Law School for their legal education certificate was recently tested in the court by a St Lucian-born Grenadian law student. A judge’s declaration that the alternative route was discriminatory to non-TT nationals was overturned in August.

In the officer’s case, the records of the human resources branch showed that during his six-month attachment, he was rostered for full-time police duty. But he argued he did his internship while working on a shift system with the police.

He wrote to the deputy commissioner for administration complaining his colleagues at the human resource branch frequented the personal files vault and had his file in their possession.

The officer alleged these officers colluded with others to photocopy certain documents from his file and send them to the Law Association, intent on making malicious and misleading accusations against him, which included that he did not complete the six-month internship, since police records showed he was rostered full time in the police service.

He is now asking for a six-month leave of absence, without pay, to repeat the internship so that he can be called next year. He says he has lost all trust and confidence in his colleagues because of their actions.