New uniforms, four days off for cops soon

Trinidad and Tobago may have more than 7,000 police officers and 78 police stations to fight crime but this resource is not being used effectively, says Deputy Police Commissioner Jack Ewatski. In the feature address at a function hosted by the Penal Rotary Club at the Paria Suites Hotel on Wednesday night, Ewatski said a new system of deployment would be introduced soon in the various police divisions. Under the new system, officers would be given standardised handguns which they would account for while they were on duty, he added.

Instead of wearing the uncomfortable traditional uniform and heavy boots, police would be given new garments, he said. They would also work 12-hour shifts with four days on duty and four days off, he revealed. Instead of officers sitting down in a police station and waiting for a citizen to make a report, Ewatski said, it would be more effective if officers were constantly on patrol with proper equipment and training to respond to crimes in a timely manner. Bicycles, vehicles equipped with GPS, canines, as well as horses, would be used to assist in patrols, he said.

“This new model of policing is being used successfully in many parts of the world,” Ewatski said, adding that the initiatives were implemented as a pilot project in the Western Division. Ewatski, who admitted that T&T’s police officers were unable to do their jobs effectively because of lack of proper equipment, said: “Technology has changed our world. The criminal element has changed and has become more sophisticated and the police have not kept up with that type of change.”  He explained that as part of T&T’s modernisation system, officers would be trained to respond in a timely manner.

“We will encourage people to contact us and we will come to you,” Ewatski said. He explained that patrols would improve police visibility and public confidence. The Deputy Commissioner said he was embarrassed as a professional by the low confidence citizens had in the Police Service. “I am not here to criticise officers but the detection rate for crimes is well below international standards,” he said, adding that soon citizens will not have to go to a police station to make reports as officers will come to them. The initiatives are expected to be implemented in the Central Division and in Tobago soon.