Dickson: Police tactical wear recall not the way to go

ASP Gideon Dickson, president of the TT Police Service Social and Welfare Association, says while the police has to find ways to control its uniforms being accessed by members of the public, the recall of police operational wear was not the best decision for the police.

In a phone interview on October 19, he said instead of being reactionary, the organisation needed to be strategic in what it does when it comes to police uniforms.

“If the intension is to retract operational wear, one must consider the units, especially the divisional task forces and K9 units, and 999 response team to a lesser extent, which carry the bulk of the work in the divisions in terms of the fight against and managing crime.

“Is it conducive for them, in 2024, to be as physical, as robust, as proactive as they need to be in the grey and blue? The straight answer to that is no.”

At the weekly police briefing at police headquarters in Port of Spain on October 17, Deputy Commissioner of Police Junior Benjamin read an advisory from Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher instructing officers to return their tactical uniforms to their respective divisional commanders by October 23.

Members of the Guard and Emergency Branch, Inter-Agency Task Force, National Operating Task Force and the Multi-Operational Police Section were exempt from the advisory.

This after an increasing number of reports of crimes involving suspects wearing clothes similar to police gear.

Dickson said he found it difficult to imagine K9 officers going into the bush and tracking through mud to look for guns and drugs wearing the grey and blue uniforms. Or the officers who had to enter an underground drain to capture suspects in the shooting incident near St Francois Girls' College in Belmont on October 4 wearing the standard uniform.

“We need to be strategic and understand that right now the biggest fight against crime and criminality is in the divisions where we have over 501 murders already for the year. We are in a crime pandemic and you would want those persons not to be demotivated nor restricted in their ability to take the fight against the criminal elements.”

He said people associated the grey and blue uniforms with “a softer form of policing” and criminals, who already walked around with and used their firearms without heed for others, might be emboldened.

“I think that decision isn’t the best for the organisation. It might be an opportunity for the organisation to bring in more ergonomic uniforms consistent with the colours, and even get an operational patterned uniform for the officers to be able to perform their duties.

“But it aught not to be across the board, especially where our task force and they are concerned that they have to return to the grey and blue because there are restrictions on what they could carry on that, their mobility and their effectiveness in terms of being able to maintain standing orders in terms of turnout and appearance with those uniforms.”

Newsday contacted Benjamin on October 19, he admitted there would be "inconveniences" caused by the advisory, but said he would work with the divisional commanders and task force members to mitigate some of those issues.

“We have to understand that, as the TTPS, we are here to protect and to save lives. Therefore, our purpose must be bigger than our pain.

“It’s about saving the lives of citizens of TT with a uniform that seems to be corrupted and somehow being used by false police officers. Therefore, at this time, the decision taken by the CoP is one that I believe is really commendable. We must do something to save lives despite a level of inconvenience. We need to understand the bigger picture.”

He said the divisional task forces were important to the operations of the police service and he would want those officers to continue to do their jobs within the parameters given to them.

“I believe, at the end, we will come to some level of compromise and understanding, and the best way forward even as we deal with this matter.”

He said he stood “firmly behind the CoP” and believed the decision would be followed by all officers.