CoP to new recruits: Seek support when needed

The issue of mental health weighed on the minds of Commissioner of Police Erla Christopher as she stressed the need for self care at the police's passing out parade on Wednesday.

This after WPC Josette Marshall shot and killed Corp Dwight Skeete and herself at her Chaguanas home on Tuesday.

During her address to 97 new police officers of batch one of 2022 at the Police Academy, St James Barracks, on Wednesday, she gave advice on steps they should take to transition from civilian life to one of duty, commitment and responsibility.

She said policing could be physically, mentally and emotionally taxing, and a heathy officer was a better one.

“Though you are well-trained young and energetic officers, I want you to understand that there is profound truth in a statement that you cannot pour from an empty cup.

"Therefore, all 97 of you who have reached this far, your last step is to prioritise your mental and physical health. Seek support when needed, and encourage your fellow officers to do the same.”

She said they also had to build trust with the communities they served, be committed to life-long learning, be a role model and believe in themselves.

She said they also had to adapt to change as crime and security threats were constantly evolving as shown by the police's recent discovery of meth labs and ghost guns created by 3D printing technology.

When asked about the murder-suicide by members of the media after the parade, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds said, “All it says to me is that police officers are, at first post, human persons.

"And we all face our stresses in life.

"And I am not privy to the details around that. And I think it would be imprudent for me to go further than to express my deep condolences to the police service, to their respective families, and to you as a citizen of TT.”