Police have complained that Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs is taking bread out of their mouths. The Police Second Division Service Social and Welfare Association's president Sgt Anand Ramesar also accused Gibbs of flouting the Police Service Act.
On Monday, Gibbs gave instructions to stop paying extra-duty allowances to police posted at the Trinidad Cement Ltd strike camp in Claxton Bay. President general of the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union Ancel Roget who met with the top cop for just over an hour at the Police Administration Building, Port-of-Spain, accused the officers of being biased because they were being paid extra duty allowances by TCL.
"The commissioner is taking bread out of the mouth of police officers. What he is doing is wrong. "We do not know what information he got from the union but from the surface of it there is definitely something wrong," Ramesar said. He cited instances where police officers were mandated to accompany heavy equipment in excess of eight tonnes as stipulated by the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act.
Such services, Ramesar said, in some instances required the capability of off-duty officers. "What if there are no officers available to escort these vehicles? What would be the company's position? "How would they get cement from one point to another? The commissioner needs to examine these issues," Ramesar urged.
He also cited other instances where police needed additional force of numbers to keep the peace for lengthy periods. "In a situation where it is highly volatile, the company would then go to the station, pay their money and request the presence of a certain number of officers. The officers that are sourced would normally be off duty at the time, meaning they would now be called upon to perform additional duties," Ramesar explained.
And by stopping extra duty allowances Gibbs has also been accused of taking away TCL's constitutional rights. The association's secretary Sgt Michael Seales maintained that the company, like every citizen, was entitled to apply for the presence of officers whose main duty when performing extra functions included the preservation of life and order.
He said extra-duty monies were first directly paid to the commissioner, after which a statutory deduction was made. Part of the money then goes toward the awards fund of the Police Service. The fund recognises the work and dedication of police officers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.