Darren Bahaw
News Editor
darren.bahaw@guardian.co.tt
No Commissioner of Police (CoP) has come to office with the flood of public support that Gary Griffith has enjoyed, and none has raised public expectation to a level as high as he has. Can he deliver?
Can Griffith save this country from the cancer of criminals, those armed with guns and those who steal from the public purse?
In an exclusive interview with Khamal Georges of CNC3 and Darren Bahaw of Guardian Media, Griffith reviewed his tenure so far and his approach to solving crime and rebuilding confidence in the Police Service. (CNC 3 to broadcast full 30-minute interview at 7.30 tonight after the newscast)
Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith during an interview with Guardian Media Limited on Monday.
Shirley Bahadur
Griffith, who took office on August 17, admitted that all of the goodwill he now enjoys could dissipate in a heartbeat if he fails. But for him, failure is not an option.
A decorated soldier and former politician, he is confident that he can stamp out the criminals who terrorise citizens on a daily basis, as well as the rogue elements within the Police Service itself. His boldly-declared mission is to remove the fear of crime which has crippled the economy and stained the reputation of T&T.
But his methods have drawn both praise and criticism. For instance, his quick unflinching defence of police officers involving fatal shootings and condemnation of journalists and other commentators who publicly condemn his style.
For many, he is a superhero who is demonstrating the courage to take on the bad guys. For others, his style invokes the infamous former commissioner Randolph Burroughs, a folk hero whose flamboyant career ended in shame following the Scott Drug Report’s revelations of criminal connections between the dark underworld and the Police Service.
“I will find ways to make things happen, and I don’t make excuses why things cannot happen,” Griffith said, as he was introduced as CoP on August 17 at the Ministry of National Security.
Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith on the Solomon Hochoy Highway during major flooding in T&T in late October.
Shirley Bahadur
A few days later, on August 31, at a post-Independence Day function, he gave himself a deadline for success: “I would like to reveal a birthday gift to the nation. I give to you today that one year from now, by God’s grace and will, by our 57th anniversary, the Police Service will be a more efficient and effective service.”
The clock is ticking.
Police Comissioner Gary Griffith speaks with members of the SORT team after the sting operation where they seized millions of dollars in cocaine in Westmoorings on Tuesday.
SHIRLEY BAHADUR
With nine months to go, Gary Griffith is a commissioner in a hurry.
His first initiatives were designed to gain the support of key sections of the national community: he gave the public direct access by publishing his personal cell phone number 482-GARY (4279); promoted scores of First and Second Division officers who had been in acting positions for years; pledged to address the 16,000-plus backlog of applications for firearm users’ licences; and sat down with representatives of the business community as well as foreign governments to welcome their assistance in training and technology.
He has also ramped up his public relations machinery, employing one of the largest teams to create an aggressive social media campaign and produce made-for-tv broadcasts playing out police operations in real-time. The high points of his tenure, however, have been the rescue of kidnap victims, high-profile drug busts and the deadly take-down of alleged gangsters. Every action has lifted him to a higher wave of popularity, drowning out the undercurrent of scepticism and worry by some about the commissioner’s methods and style.
Police Commissioner Gary Griffith with members of the Special Response Operational Team who rescued kidnapped Penal family Aaron Sooknanan his wife Paula and two children Ricardo and Isabella as they stand guard outside the San Fernando General Hospital yesterday.
Roberto Codallo
High murder rate
His biggest challenge, he admits, is getting the murder rate down.
Statistics from the Crime and Problem Analysis Unit of the TTPS show a decline in the number of murders since he assumed office, but Griffith said that was negligible and nothing to be proud of, as the projections point to an end of year toll of close to 550 homicides.
The current tally stands at 494 as of yesterday.
His success in retrieving seven kidnap victims in a short space of time, without any ransom paid, and arrest of suspects, have boosted his confidence but he agrees that the real barometer by which the public judges the effectiveness of the Police Service to fight crime is the ability to stem homicides.
There have been close to 145 murders since his appointment.
“In coming into office, there was a decrease in comparison to August 2017; there was a decrease of 33 per cent in comparison to September last year, there was a decrease of 27-odd per cent in comparison to October last year. So, there was actually a decrease. Having said that, it picked back up again in November, and there was a dramatic increase in homicides in December last year. So, obviously, the barometer, what people will always look at is homicides, and you are quite correct,” he said.
“Where there can be quick wins in the things that I have done, such as dealing with kidnappings and other aspects of serious crime, homicide is going to be the big one.”
He said his relentless pursuit to clamp down on the trade of illegal guns and drugs would result in a spike in murders.
“So, there may be a situation where we need to bleed to heal. The main thing I am looking at is that the majority of these homicides is, it seems it is because of that. It is gang-related,” he said intelligence has shown.
“When you get $10, $30 million of the seizure of illegal drugs, somebody has to pay for that; somebody is going to be held accountable. Somebody has to pay the price. That is not my business; my business is to try to ensure the safety and security in this country and to ensure that illegal weapons, illegal drugs will be stopped. By doing that, the more I squeeze on them, the more they will start to attack each other even more. That goes into phase two of what I intend to do.”
His next step is to “plug all the loopholes” to prevent illegal drugs and weapons and now “start squeezing them using several different methods that you will be seeing in the new year also to ensure that these individuals can be brought to justice”.
Griffith said with the trends in homicide he saw upon coming into office, the TTPS was projecting an annual tally of over 600 murders, the highest in the nation’s history—surpassing the last record of 542 killings in 2008.
“We will always say that one homicide is one too many. But there is something called an acceptable number, based on the population, based on the threat. What we have right now is nowhere near being something that you can actually say is acceptable.”
Excerpts of the 30-minute interview:
Q: What is an acceptable figure for T&T, which has a population of 1.4 million people?
A: 250 murders per year, based on international benchmarks.
Solving murders is also another seemingly impossible challenge for the Police Service as citizens are afraid or just reluctant to get involved to share critical information with investigators, but will the shift to relying on scientific, forensic and wire-tapping evidence to solve crimes bring results?
There has been a slight increase in the detection rate. There are several other things that we will be doing to improve the detection rate. The utilisation of our international allies, as much as it is perceived that I know a lot, I certainly do not know everything, and I certainly intend to rely on our international allies to assist us in dealing with crime scene investigation, fraud, money laundering, cybercrime, DNA testing, cold cases.
You can’t open a Cold Case Unit if you can’t deal with the hot cases, how are you going to deal with the cold ones? We need international experts that have the ability to deal with these things and to assist us. So that will play a very big part towards the increase in the detection rate, much more than it is now. Trying to utilise the tools and technology available in other countries.
Police Commissioner Gary Griffith, centre, with officers involved in the raid.
TTPS
So how soon can the country expect to see results?
My mission is two-fold. It is to reduce crime but also take away the perception and fear of crime. I have set up several policies, the Emergency Response Patrols, the concept of GPS tracking on the vehicles, the introduction of the Operational Command Centre, Commissioners’ Command Centre, the different tools for the minimum use of force policy, how we deal with intelligence gathering, covert operation units, Special Operations Response Team, some started not fully implement to see the value.
The ERP, for example, has 85 vehicles, I intend to put a blanket over the country, so anytime there is an emergency call, within minutes, within seconds you can have a response to that call. And making sure police officers are accountable. With the I Support Our Service (ISOS), I am working on getting the public to trust the police, working hand in hand with the police. Get them to trust us, believe in us and with that working relationship it will play a big part towards the drastic reduction in crime.”
Public trust in the Police Service is a big challenge. Getting police officers to walk the beat, build relationships with communities, getting them to say I am here for you, where is that?
It is something that was very low. And you’re are spot on, I can bring all the technology, all the police scientific approaches and all new concept of intelligence gathering and operations if the public does not buy into it and they don’t believe that it can turn around, it is not going to happen.
In the past, the performance of the Police Service was usually measured by slight improvements in the reduction of the number of serious crimes, do you intend to account for the TTPS in a similar fashion?
The public does not want to hear about statistics. The public does not want to hear a CoP coming at the end of the year and talk about a reduction in serious crime. That is laughable. Even though it may be true, a reduction in serious crime means nothing to the average citizen if you do not feel safe. And you are quite right, with that there was a lack of trust, a lack of belief, a lack of confidence in general that the public had with the Police Service.
I intend to put an end towards using statistics to give account for serious crimes. It could be cosmetic. You say there is a reduction in serious crime yet there is an increase in homicide, it then lets the public believe that you are trying to play with numbers.
I intend to remove serious crime and turn it into violent crime. So, with that, I want to be judged, let the public judge the Police Service if we are not doing our job.
Don’t say there are 12,000 serious crimes last year but this year there are 11,850 and we have done well, that is not true. Violent crime will include the heinous crime that people can see and feel, kidnapping, homicides, rape, stabbings, gunshots, something that is violent. If there is a reduction in violent crime, then we can say we are seeing positive results. I intend in 2019...there is going to be a big turnaround where we intend to do many things from an intelligence-gathering operational perspective to reduce violent crime.
You talk about cleaning up the Police Service since you’ve come into office as CoP. Can you give some details as to how many officers have been charged, how many are on suspension, how many likely to be charged for criminal conduct?
There are about 300-odd officers that are presently suspended, 74 are suspended based on serious crime, dozens of them are in prison. There seems to be a way to find ways not to make things happen; I don’t intend to condone any wrongdoing. What I will be doing is that all officers who are in prison will be fired. And I am blunt about it. There is a situation that the force has been embarrassed and if it that you are in prison you should not remain as a police officer. It is a serious matter based on the fact that you have embarrassed the Police Service and operated in a manner unbecoming of a police officer, I would fire you. The suspension on full pay or three-quarter pay can be seen as an avenue that it pays to be indisciplined so that you can benefit from it.
I have to draw a thin line to make sure I look after the rights of the citizens while at the same time I may not be seen being so biased to forget that I am also here to protect my TTPS and the officers. Which you will see at times I will jealously guard and defend my officers if they are being unjustly attacked, so I have to draw that thin line where I have two masters—I have to serve the Police Service, but I also have to serve the citizens.
Over the last three months there have been a number of police killings—Talparo three, Laventille five, and a couple others, do you think police officers feel more empowered given your support to shoot to kill in circumstances which may or may not be justified?
The score is 11-0. It means that police officers are better trained, better equipped, they have been training in how to use a firearm. Police officers are not gangsters. The gangsters are the ones who hold the weapon like this, sideways. My police officers are trained to know how to make an accurate shot. It is not about hitting someone in the arm or the leg. I am not going to have anyone shoot at my officers and have anyone try to intimidate my officers because that one second of hesitation can lead to the death of that officer and those behind him whom he is trying to protect. So persons not trained will try and find a way to criticise my officers—Christlyn Moore, Kirk Waithe—let them defend other people, I will defend my officers.
Any officer who abuses his authority, I will deal with them at a higher standard. Having said that, no one is going to draw a weapon at any of my police officers and they are not going to fire back. It is one shot, one kill. And if people are upset about it, that is law.
Have you instructed your officers to shoot to kill?
No, it is not a matter of instruction, it is a matter of training. Anyone who has a firearm, if you go on target practice, it is a head and chest shot. That is what you aim for. The concept is to neutralise the opponent to make sure that he cannot fire back at you. You cannot draw a firearm and expect to put a shot on someone so that they can shoot back at you. You have to make sure that the enemy is neutralised. Any officer that abuses their authority I will deal with him. We are expected to be of a higher standard.
You are a soldier by training, you have recruited a number of soldiers in specialised units, one of your closest advisers is a member of the Defence Force, these officers are trained differently in terms of dealing with the public, soldiers are trained to kill.
That is incorrect. You made a big mistake there. That concept by civilians is wrong. Soldiers are trained to do much more, leadership, management and utilising resources. Soldiers are involved in peacekeeping. Police officers are well trained. They are trained to protect and serve. The only way you can protect and serve is if you stay alive. For them to stay alive, if someone fires a shot at you or draws a firearm they would be trained to fire back.
KERWIN PIERRE
Can we change the discussion to focus on solving white-collar crime? You’ve spoken about the establishment of a white-collar crime-busting unit; what will that unit be doing differently to what has been done in the past?
The white collar crime plays a part in violent crime. When you have gangs that have access to funds to be able to purchase more weapons, more drugs, this is an investment; somebody is helping them. I am using the concept of plea bargaining. I don’t want the small fish. If I catch someone with firearms, with drugs, I am going to squeeze them and working with the Director of Public Prosecutions, find ways to say, listen, instead of ten years, it might go to one, but just let me know whom it is facilitated this for you. I intend to go up the pecking order as high as it can go.
Many of units work in silos. So using Financial Intelligence Branch, Cyber Crime Unit, the Anti-Corruption, the Fraud Squad, I am having all of them amalgamated into one unit where we can look at all systems related to white-collar crime making sure that information is shared so with that it will play a big part towards assisting in solving complex crime. With legislation such as civil asset forfeiture, if and when that comes through, it will help me as Commissioner of Police to go after criminal elements who have utilised an office to be involved in major crime.
I know there is a major concern about homicides. That is a fact; we must stop homicides. But two or three homicides a day is not going to cripple a country. If certain persons steal $25 billion from a country through a business, that can cripple a country. So that is how serious white-collar crime can be. With the concept of civil asset forfeiture if you cannot account for your assets, then that is an avenue for me to go after those individuals.
What makes you think as CoP that you may be able to capture or really apprehend the big fish in T&T?
I think I have a very good Police Service with good officers. But what was required is a better system of management and structure, and by doing this we will be able not to have investigations go on for years, and it cannot be dealt with; it can be closed and we can bring an end to all these different ‘gates’. I intend to close all gates one way or the other. Likewise, if we put proper systems to provide deterrence, it would prevent the greater concerns of white-collar crime. And if persons continue, we can have the capacity and tools to target these individuals and bring them to justice. With the restructuring of the police branches which deal with money laundering and fraud and also a better use of technology, working closely with our international allies in how funds can actually be departed out of the country and also with proper legislation, I think we can make a big crack in white-collar crime.
There are approximately 30,000 members of criminal gangs spread throughout the country and when they are arrested they continue to operate within the prisons—they call shots and hits on people and run their criminal enterprise. There is no stopping them. How do you intend to dismantle the criminal gangs?
Well again, now going back into operational mode, with the use of the new units I will be bringing in, covert operating units, the Emergency Response Patrol, an Air Unit, the Special Operations Response Team, and again making sure that information is given to persons on a need-to-know basis. So that when we get intelligence, I am not going to pass it on to each and every police officer in a station where there is a perception that some police officers may be involved or sympathetic to criminal elements. When it is we decide to strike, we will strike with such vigour with such force that the persons will not know what happens. We will have enough evidence and information to arrest individuals for them not to be beating the system, which is what they have been doing.
We intend to go after the gangs very hard. I have no intention of negotiating with them. What is sad, certain persons find ways to defend the criminals and look after the rights of criminals; they probably have their rights. I am looking after the rights of law-abiding citizens.
These individuals have continued to become a nuisance to our society. People claim that I call them cockroaches. Well, the day any citizens, and persons who are upset, the day anyone their wife is raped, their son is kidnapped, or someone is killed by these individuals, you tell me what you call them. These individuals have infected our country. It is just a handful; I need to go after them, I promise you within the law. There is nothing I will do outside of the law when I go after these individuals. I have enough support, resources to do what is required. I am not in any way going to sympathise or try to negotiate with them. If it is they continue to break the law, I am going after them with a tonne of bricks.
Commissioner of Police, Gary Griffith, left,and National Security Minister, Stuart Young right as they tour the facilities during the launch of the Emergency Response Patrol ERP of the command center at the Police Academy, St James, yesterday.
Nicole Drayton
Super G, Double G, which do you prefer?
I would prefer Super P, super Police Service. It is all about the TTPS. I am just a humble leader trying my best to make this a better country.
I will give up the nationwide support that I have in a minute if that support can be filtered down into the TTPS, I want people to believe and trust the Police Service.
I promise you I intend to weed out the rogue elements, we will remove them, and the majority of the hard-working police officers they want to protect and serve with pride. They want that support. So I will give up that Super G to a Super P anytime.
WHO IS GARY?
Gary Trevor Griffith Jnr
• Born: November 25, 1964
• High School: St Mary’s College (1976-1984)
• University: University of Leicester, United Kingdom (2004-2007)
• Academic qualifications: MSc Security Management
• Wife: Nicole Dyer-Griffith
• Son: Gary Griffith III
Career
• June 1, 1988-May 2005- Enlisted Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF)- 2nd Lieutenant, Lieutenant, Captain-Aide to Chief of Defence Staff, Aide de Camps to late President ANR Robinson, Military Attaché to former prime minister Basdeo Panday, head of the Defence Force Intelligence Unit, Defence Force representative at the Joint Operations Command Centre (JOCC), Platoon, Company and Detachment Commander.
• October 17, 2002-September 28, 2007-Opposition Senator (temporary)
• May 2010- September 2013- National Security Adviser/Chair of the National Security Council to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar
• September 2013-February 2015-National Security Minister
• April 2015 to August 2018-Security Analyst Services (CGGAL Ltd)
• August 2018- Present-Commissioner of Police, TTPS
Awards
• United Nations Peacekeeping Medal
• Efficiency decoration medal for 12 years distinguished service (TTDF)
• Meritorious medal for duties performed during the 1990 coup attempt.
NEW INITIATIVES
‘I Support Our Services’ (ISOS) Campaign:
Commissioner of Police, Gary Griffith, President of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service Social and Welfare Association, Insp Michael Seales and Patron of the Police Wives Association, Mrs Nicole Dyer Griffith launched the I Support Our Service (ISOS) campaign on December 2, 2018, at the Commissioner’s Residence, Samaan Drive, St James.
This campaign is a collaboration between the business community, TTPS and the T&T Police Service’s Welfare Association, as a long term initiative to thank those hard working officers that put their lives on the line daily. Several major business owners have pledged to support the Service.
Emergency Response Patrol (ERP) Campaign:
The Emergency Response Patrol (ERP) is expected to assist with higher police visibility, rapid response, act as a very heavy deterrent to crime and positively change the perception of crime and criminality. The new unit will be strategically placed in all nine Divisions and will stay in their area of responsibility and be monitored via GPS.
Commissioner of Police, Gary Griffith launched the new initiative, which involves the strategic placement of 85 vehicles around the country, at the Police Academy, on Friday 26th October, 2018.
Operation Strike Back:
This new anti-crime initiative was activated by Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith on September 1, 2018, was intended to strike back hard against gang leaders and criminal elements that hold communities under siege and in fear.
He stated the intent is to reduce that sense of fear by pushing back against gang leaders and other criminal elements that have taken hold of some communities. “Operation Strike Back” ushers in a new era of policing, intended to take back the country from criminals and restore a sense of peace, security and safety to law-abiding citizens.
Cold Case Missing Persons Unit:
This initiative will reopen old cases and bring closure to the traumatized family members of those who have been reported and remain missing.