CoP to cops: Taking jobs without permission inappropriate

Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith has reiterated that investigations by the police and the Police Complaints Authority into Assistant Commissioner of Police Irwin Hackshaw revealed that he did nothing illegal.

Griffith said, however, that the practice of police officers accepting private jobs while on vacation or without the commissioner’s permission is inappropriate and should be changed.

He was responding at Wednesday’s weekly media briefing to comments on social media about the police’s handling of complaints against Hackshaw, and investigations into reports that he had been allegedly flagged for suspicious financial activities between 2014 and 2019.

“This is not the first time this has happened,” Griffith said.

“We have seen many police officers engaged in similar activities where they would acquire funds from different organisations to resubmit the funds to assist a charitable organisation.

“It is an inappropriate system, and hence we formed the I Support Our Service for checks and balances for all funds given.”

Griffith said senior police officers also have farms, are partners in businesses with family members and have worked as security details in Carnival bands, all without the permission of the commissioner.

Hackshaw earned money privately from security-related consultancy and allegedly had large deposits of cheques and cash in three different banks from his business. Investigations revealed there was no evidence to find Hackshaw liable of any criminal offence.