East Indian people are not the only ones who are being marginalised in the Police Service.According to Michael Seales, Secretary of the T&T Police Service Social and Welfare Association women have also been marginalised.He asked: "For the last decade or more, has there been a woman police in the executive of the Police Service?"Seales said he knew of instances where people would have tried to keep women from the executive of the Police Service."Only recently there have been women in the executive," he said.Seales was responding to statements made by Police Service Commission chairman Nizam Mohammed on Friday."There is merit in the statement made by Mr Mohammed. You have groups being marginalised for reasons best known to the persons who are able to promote these persons," Seales said.
Calls for ethnic composition of promotion board to be changed
Seales confirmed the Association wrote to Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs and copied Mohammed last December regarding an incident with the Promotion Advisory Board.The letter stemmed from statements allegedly made by board members after two officers of East Indian descent were interviewed for the position of Inspector. Seales said an observer told the Association after the two men left, the board members made statements regarding their ethnicity.
Seales stressed that Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Stephen Williams was not the Chairman of the board at that time.Because of that complaint, the Association asked the Commissioner to reconsider the board's ethnic composition. All board members were of African descent. However, Gibbs said there was nothing illegal about the board.Seales hoped that since Mohammed spoke openly on the issue it will be resolved."I believe Mr Williams will promote persons based on their merit," he said
He maintained that apart from the DCP and the ACP boards members could be changed."It's only fair, we live in a plural society," he said.Asked if there was racism in the Police Service, he said: "The facts speak for themselves. I will not say that. The facts speak for themselves."Seales said Sgt Anand Ramesar, president of the Association has not commented as it could be construed he was trying to defend himself.He said Ramesar was not racist and in fact is married to a woman of African descent.
the Promotion andAdvisory Board
According to the Police Service Act 2006, the board must comprise the DCP, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, the Human Resources Director of the Police Service, a senior officer who is not a police officer, from the Ministry of National Security selected by the Minister and an independent management consultant, appointed by the Commissioner.