Senior Tobago cop tells public: Report errant police officers

SNR SUPT Rodhill Kirk says the Tobago Division has adopted a zero-tolerance stance on any errant police officer who “engages in activities that are unbecoming. ”

He spoke on the Tobago Updates morning show on July 16.

Kirk was responding to a question about strategies being implemented to build trust and confidence among citizens in communities and within the police .

Aware that some police officers have tarnished the image of the police service, he said, “Those that are found wanting will end up before the courts being prosecuted.”

Kirk, who was accompanied by Junior Benjamin, DCP, Operations, said members of the public with information on any such officer must come forward.

“There are mechanisms in place (through) which they can bring that information to the forefront and we will treat with it with the utmost urgency.

"We can’t be trying to build something and a few trying to break it down.

“So wherever those situations occur, I will ask the public to reach out to me or reach out to even the Deputy Commissioner (Benjamin) and we will action those items in terms of getting these people out of the TTPS.”

He said Tobago, which has recorded 16 murders for 2024, most of which were gang-related, was no longer the island it once was.

Kirk said Tobago is also home to people from elsewhere.

“Not only Tobagonians live on the island. We had unique communities within the island, but now there are people who are renting out to people and they don’t even know their names.

"So this is something that we have to heighten our awareness (of).We have to continue to be vigilant and recognise that the dynamics in Tobago have changed. Not creating panic, but we just have to change our mindset and be more aware as to what is happening around us.”

He said the public is responding favourably to the town meetings the division has been hosting in the past few months.

“I must say that I want to thank the Tobago public for the response they are showing. Coming out of that, we are seeing an improvement in terms of the relationship with the TTPS, especially some of the recent activities that took place, especially in the Bethel area.

“We were able to bring the perpetrators to justice based on that relationship with the community. The community had reached out, and therefore the police acted in respect of that.”

Kirk, who was promoted to senior superintendent in May, said although the success in this regard might seem minuscule, “it is worth(while) to celebrate that the persons are now coming forward believing in the police.”

He recalled the last time he appeared on the show, he spoke about the initiative his team had embarked on to restore public trust and confidence, implement crime-prevention measures and improve the division’s detection rate through its investigative apparatus.

Kirk said Tobago officers are benefiting from training from the Inter-Agency Ttask Force, Guard and Emergency Branch and other arms of the police.

“That is something that is ongoing, and the response from the public has been tremendous. So I am saying that it is a work in progress and we are going to continue with our public-awareness outreach thoughout the communities as we go forward for the rest of the year.”