ASP Joanne Archie wants out

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Joanne Archie who holds the role of public relations officer of the Police Service has sent in an application to Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs to be transferred out of that position, only after a month. This was confirmed yesterday by president of the Police Service Social and Welfare Association Sgt Anand Ramesar. Archie was introduced to the media on September 9 as the official public information officer for the Police Service.

Ramesar said a correspondence was sent to the association informing executive members of Archie’s request to be relieved of her position. He said the reason cited was “stress” which Archie incurred while in her role as public relations officer. According to Ramesar, Archie who was recently on sick leave has yet again fallen ill. She has not addressed the media for the past two weeks. Archie’s ill health was also confirmed yesterday by Director of Public Affairs of the Police Service Sharon Lee Assang who has been chairing daily media briefings at Police Administration Building, Port-of-Spain. “Ms Archie is really not well,” Assang said.

Ramesar said the association has thrown its full support behind Archie and would be willing to go to the Industrial Court should Gibbs fail to comply with Archie’s request. “We were told that Ms Archie submitted a sick leave and one of the factors would have been stress emanating from her role,” Ramesar added. He said information also reached the association that Archie made a verbal request to be relieved of her role as public relations officer, but that was rejected. It was reported that a deputy police commissioner then went to a senior executive member to “personally plead” for Archie to be relieved of her role but he, too, was rejected by the executive member. It was then decided that the transfer application be put in writing.

Ramesar said he would expect Gibbs to “take some time” on the matter, but added: “My position is that Ms Archie ought to be accommodated with respect to the transfer. “This is a sensitive issue and we expect the commissioner to treat with it in the interest and welfare of the officer,” he said. Ramesar said female police officers continued to face challenges within the organisation and it was high time that “certain and special” mechanisms be implemented to deal with such issues. Gibbs also came in for heavy criticism from the association which claimed he had been neglecting his duties to the public.

“Because we are in a state of emergency, the ultimate responsibility would be on the commissioner,” Ramesar said. “I would imaging the public would want to hear from him directly and he should not have placed his responsibility on a junior officer. “It shows his unwillingness to lead and to take the bull by its horns, especially where the situation like a state of emergency demands it.” Archie’s application has come on the heels of two separate written complaints sent on Monday to Gibbs, citing instances of sexual harassment and oppressive behaviour purportedly committed by senior male officers.