My suggestions for a better TTPS

THE EDITOR: Further to the two-day crime symposium, I would like to highlight one area of vulnerability that did not receive nearly enough attention – the TT Police Service.

The following are my suggestions to Commissioner Harewood-Christopher, the Police Service Commission and Government as to what can be done to improve the quality of policing.

* Mandate rigorous enforcement of TTPS by-laws and policies by supervisors and the Police Service Commission.

* All official patrol vehicles must be commanded by two officers at all times. Both officers must sign for that vehicle at the start of each shift and account for it at shift's end.

* All officers must clearly identify themselves before interacting with any member of the public. This may or may not include the use of name tags.

* Introduce dash-cams in all police vehicles as part of standard equipment.

* End the delay and institute body-cams to be worn by all officers in the field.

* Footage from dash and body cams to be collected and reviewed by a body independent of the TTPS and answerable only to the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) and Parliament's JSC on national security.

* Create and resource an Internal Affairs Division answerable only to the PCA.

* Crack down on police lawbreakers. Introduce stiffer penalties for errant officers which are three-four times harsher than penalties prescribed for civilians.

* Create a professional branch filled by university graduates specifically trained in forensics, detection and other specialty fields of police work.

* Create an arm of the public service specifically to manage administrative aspects of the TTPS. Officers should not be doing admin work but rather be out on the field maintaining law and order.

* Raise recruitment standards and improve compensation so policing becomes a more attractive career option.

* Implement enhanced medical and accidental death insurance for all officers who we ask to risk their lives daily on our behalf.

* Introduce an internal scholarship scheme for bright young officers wishing to pursue related courses of study. All awardees must be bound to service for a minimum of ten years following graduation.

* Make mandatory every police station establishing a Big Brother programme in its community.

* Senior officers in every police station to host three or four town meetings yearly to get feedback from the public on police's performance.

* Make it a serious offence for any officer refusing to respond to a call for assistance or refusing to act to stop a crime.

* Fund a public awareness programme on how a properly functioning Police Force acts, encourage people to video record interactions with police and report any behaviour deemed contrary to the law.

* Introduce a continuous education programme so officers remain consistent and aware of TT's laws.

* Assist with the creation of watch groups in all neighborhoods to which two active duty officers will be made members. Include use of social media as a tool of communication and alert.

* There should be no instance where officers are idle. Officers must not only be reactive but also proactive by means of regular foot and car patrols in all areas in their remit.

Madam commissioner, the ball is in your court.

You can jump start the transition to a 21st-century police force by instituting even just a few of these suggestions. Let's all pitch in together and make it better for all our sakes, before it is too late.

GEORGE ELIAS

Cascade