The Police Service is being allowed to decay to the extent where low morale is real and Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs treats his officers with disdain. This is coupled with the fact that 80 per cent of officers are acting in positions ranging from corporal to inspector, says National Security Minister Jack Warner.
Warner met with members of the Police Service Social and Welfare Association for close to two hours yesterday at the association's office at Besson Street Police Station. "I am surprised the Police Service has been allowed to decay, and I say decay in the strongest sense, to the level it has been," he said.
"There have been complaints that the commissioner treats his officers with disdain...with an inferiority complex. "But I don't believe the situation cannot be reversed." In the last four years, there have been no promotions from the rank of corporal to sergeant. "There are acting sergeants at all the stations," Warner said.
"This makes the Police Service seem to be nothing better than what Hollywood is today...with a bundle of actors, and nobody confirmed in their positions." The National Security Minister also publicly apologised to the association's president Sgt Anand Ramesar, saying he had preconceived notions about the organisation.
"I made judgments on them without getting the facts, and now that I have the facts, I want to publicly apologise," Warner said. The meeting focused on grievances and problems and paving the way forward. Grievances, Warner added, were categorised into two areas, salary and management.
"In terms of salaries, it is unfortunate that police officers have to go to court to deal with the issues of promotion, have to go to the Equal Opportunities Commission, and I felt these were issues which could have been discussed around a table," he said. He said police were also disgusted by the level of "paralysis" regarding promotions, claiming favouritism had tainted the process.
"The association has said to me there are over 1,000 vacancies for promotion in the Police Service and that promotion has not only been tedious but selective," Warner said. "In fact, they said 80 per cent of the Police Service is acting. "Now how in God's name can you expect men to perform and give of their best if over the years they are acting in their positions?" he questioned.
Because of their disenchantment, officers have turned to moonlighting. The association also complained to Warner that Gibbs treated police with disrespect. An instance was given where a sergeant applied to the commissioner for an air pistol and was refused, but in the same breath was as told that Canadian children "play with these things."
"What the police are now doing in protest is passive resistance, and that is why the public is suffering, because they don't know at this point where they can turn," the minister said. Describing yesterday's meeting as fruitful, Warner said he did not disagree with the association on a single point. "There must be some kind of merit in what these men are saying," he said.
A bonus system is also expected to be introduced if police make a serious dent in crime, particularly murders. "If crime is at an all-time high and I say to these guys if they bring it down to 50 per cent, you are entitled to a bonus, and I see nothing wrong with that," Warner said. "I would prefer that system, because it is tied in with productivity." Warner is expected to meet with the Police Service Commission and Gibbs next week.
Two categories of SRPs
Full-time and part-time Special Reserve Police officers are expected to be introduced in the Police Service. Those who work full-time would then be absorbed as regular police officers after a couple of years, Warner said. "That is once they meet the qualifications and we would have those who work part-time," he added. Saying the SRPs were mainly exploited, Warner suggested they be paid the extra $1,000 as ordinary police officers.
Officers attacking system
Ramesar said because the police were forbidden to protest openly, they were "attacking the system" in their own way. "There is a very low morale in the Police Service and there are a lot of systems that are causing a silent resistance," he said.