SABOTAGE, SILENCE and SOLUTIONS

The unfortunate development of the Police Service being forced to resort to such
unacceptable measures, as they felt that their concerns were not being taken
seriously, should never have reached to such a breaking point.
As a previous serving member of the Protective Services, I am fully aware of the
critical need to ensure that the needs, welfare and concerns of troops is of
fundamental importance to ensure that they perform at optimum level, hence my
continued and constant dialogue with them during my tenure as Minister of
National Security.

However, the virtual sabotage of the country by a few who conveniently

authorized erratic road blocks all over the country at convenient times, hence
virtually shutting down the country, must be condemned fully and disciplinary
action on those responsible must be an option to prevent a re occurrence.

The flimsy red herring statement being made by the TTPS Welfare Association,
shows either their misleading perception that the public is either naive to believe
that their reckless action is considered as "Total Policing, or that they are highly
untrained in tactical law enforcement , as they are not aware that the basic role and
function for a successful road block is the element of surprise, and for it to be short
and sharp for effective results, as anything longer than 15 mins, which I constantly
stated as Minister of National Security, provides nothing other than causing undue
burden and inconvenience to the law abiding citizens, or was this the intention in
the first place to prove a point ?

To now state that this was done to ensure that the public is protected from criminal
elements, it seems a vast contrast to just a few weeks ago when the same Police
Welfare Association was showing reluctance to conduct basic duties during the
Carnival weekend.

It that is the case, it means that those involved in this clandestine act have totally
breached their code of conduct of protecting and serving with pride and should be
disciplined accordingly. This irresponsible action serves no purpose other than to
further erode the possible trust and good working relationship between the public
and the Police which as Minister of National Security, I was trying my best to
bridge that gap, but this action by certain elements in the Police Service, have now
caused serious damage to the image of the TTPS, both locally and internationally.

However, this unfortunate development should never have reached to this level, as
it is not just the actual action by certain elements of the TTPS that need to be
reviewed, but also several other factors that should have taken place before, during
and after this unfortunate situation.

1. Need for a more pro active approach :

This was a ticking time bomb that was known weeks ago, so there should have
been a much more proactive approach by the relevant authorities to look into the
concerns of the TTPS in their wage negotiation and not just bank on the CPO
handling the matter. Dialogue and mutual understanding and respect are critical
tools in negotiations, and it is apparent that not enough of this was done, hence the
TTPS felt that this was a last resort to prove a point.

2. The focus on the actual issue- Police Officers must be better paid:

As much as many, if not all would condemn the TTPS fully for this action, that
borders on treason if military personnel had acted in similar manner, it goes in
tandem with the statements made by Commissioner of NYPD Bill Bratton when he
was in this country, whereby he said that Police Officers must be properly paid,
otherwise you would only get a Tool or a Mule. He also said that you get what
you pay for. Based on the actions seen this morning by certain elements of the
TTPS, Commissioner Bratton is correct, as we are indeed getting what we pay for,
so we are not paying enough.

It is not good enough to just expect the CPO, who is only seeing a budget and
comparing it to other Public Servants, to understand the critical importance of
properly paying persons who put their lives on the line daily.
A properly paid Police Officer ensures a more effective and less corrupt Police
Officer, so everyone wins. There was a project earmarked with both Mayor Rudy
Giuliani and Commissioner Brattons previous Company to revamp the TTPS, via
an audit to restructure the Service, hence ensuring better results and more effective
policing, which would have included increasing their salaries and other
entitlements, and it is hoped that this project is not shelved, as many others have
been since my departure.

3. Disciplinary action must be an option to those responsible

In my research done to ensure better policing, inclusive of NYPD, as much as

better conditions are important for those willing to protect and serve, at no time
must anyone forget that their duty to their country must come first and they
cannot , ever , hold a country to ransom.
There were four basic principles that I used to ensure good law enforcement, which
was - Management, Leadership, accountability and measuring performance.
Based on this reckless behavior, those individuals concerned have failed miserably
as it relates to measuring their performance and accountability. Hence they should
be made accountable and disciplinary taken if they further pursue such actions..

In the same manner that the Police Welfare Association are demanding higher
wages, and rightly so, as their duty entails much more than is expected by many
others, then they are also expected to show a greater degree of discipline and
patriotism, which some may have broken and those who authorized this should be
held accountable, so the example be set to prevent such further action.
This is not by any means an extreme measure, as in many North American and
European cities, Police Officers are highly paid but also fired for just not
performing in reducing crime, which we have not started as yet, so if one engages
in causing a breakdown in the management of the country, then strict disciplinary
action should be an option.

The ridiculous red herring to cover their actions by virtually shutting down the
country cannot be trivialized.
I am certain that the Minister of National Security would have spoken to the
Commissioner of Police, upon which the CoP has the authority to immediately
demand that such road blocks be shut down and controlled only via the TTPS
Headquarters .

Failure by any Police Officer to disregard the directive of the CoP after this ,
relates to nothing other than blatantly failing to adhere to the orders of a superior
Officer , upon which grounds for immediate removal from the Service become
expected.
The Commissioner has the grounds to hire and fire, and this is the ideal
opportunity for him to use his authority if they pursue such actions.

4. A MORE EFFECTIVE MEDIA UPDATE AND PUBLIC AWARENESS

OF THE SITUATION :

At times, such unfortunate developments would happen, however it is vital that

when it does, that the public be updated and made aware of what is taking place,
what is being done about it and what they, the citizens should do, so that the
perception of fear and panic does not step in, which also leads to wrong decisions
being made and inaccurate information being passed.
Several hours after the meaningless road blocks took place to virtually shut down
the country, not a word was heard from the relevant agencies, inclusive of the
National Operations Centre, which I personally formulated for such situations.
The ball was badly dropped in communication, and the public was left wondering
if they should return home, if the Police had taken control of the country, or if the
nation was under any form of unrest.
There are specific templates that I left, to guide those to ensure that the public
would be given real time information so they can be guided accordingly.
Unfortunately, it was not used.

Additionally , there has to be a breakdown in Intelligence, upon which those

Agencies must also have some questions to answer, as it is impractical that the
relevant Intelligence Agencies were not aware that thousands of Police Officers
were being assembled and rostered throughout the country from 5 am to conduct
what can be described as the largest Police Excise in our history other than during
State of Emergencies, and no one knew about it, or if they did know, they did not
bring it to the attention of the Minister of National Security, as he was unaware of
this development until it commenced.

Mistakes were made, and it is hoped that we learn from these mistakes, to ensure
there is not a repeat and if it does happen, that the immediate action steps taken are
done in real time, as rightfully demanded by the Trinidad and Tobago citizens.