“Good going, Gary!”
This was the sentiment expressed yesterday as the T&T Guardian contacted two informed stakeholders to assess Gary Griffith’s performance in his first year as Police Commissioner.
Former chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) Professor Ramesh Deosaran gave Griffith a rating of eight out of ten for his performance.
President of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Social Welfare Association (TTPSWA) Insp Gideon Dickson, however, believes Griffith’s rating could be even closer to a nine. In two weeks, Griffith will celebrate his first anniversary as this country’s Police Commissioner.
Griffith was appointed on August 17 last year.
And as the anniversary of Griffith’s appointment draws nearer Deosaran, a former Independent Senator, and Dickson both gave their assessments of his performance.
“In terms of Gary Griffith’s performance I think he deserves a delicate eight out of ten for his first year and that will be based on his field presence, impact, passion, and commitment to his post,” Deosaran said.
“But he must be mindful that his performance also depends on the performance integrity and support from the downstream units and officers,” he said.
Deosaran said any assessment now in terms of dealing with crime and national security has to be done between Griffith personally as commissioner and the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) as a whole.
“So eventually the whole service will have to be evaluated with Gary being an important component,” Deosaran said.
“The second issue is that the ultimate public interest assessment on him is really the output reduction particularly in crime and especially murders, illegal guns, and trafficking and also a reduction in the widespread public fear that we now have over crime,” Deosaran said.
Between August 17, 2018, when Griffith assumed office and July 30, 2019, a total of 486 murders were recorded. For the comparative period the year before, between August 17, 2017, to July 30, 2018, a total of 517 murders were recorded. This amounted to 31 fewer murders under Griffith’s tenure.
“The police service and Gary himself need as much encouragement from the public as possible so that is now the dilemma facing the police operations,” Deosaran said. Deosaran called on the current PSC to let its assessment of Griffith’s performance be known as a matter of public interest.
“The Police Service regulations require that the PSC regularly and independently monitor, evaluate, and report on the commissioner and his executive, it will be helpful now to hear from the commission with regard to Gary’s performance and that of the Police Service as a matter of public interest,” Deosaran said.
Deosaran said the crime rate last year was “so disturbing” that Griffith’s appointment was “seen as therapy and a tension reduction event.”
Dickson said he would give Griffith a rating of 8.75.
“In terms of leadership, he would get a 9.5 from the association, in terms of management he would get a 9.
“In terms of going out there and trying to be the face of the organisation and also trying to inspire others and bringing back public trust and confidence, if I had to give him a rating where that is concerned, me individually I am giving him a ten,” Dickson said.
“However our only difficulty with the Commissioner would simply be where we might not share the same point of view of how to do some things because we say you have to do it by the law and because of his leadership style he means if he has to get it done, he has to get it done now.
“That for us is where his only fault is,” he said.
The TTPSWA and Griffith have been at loggerheads over the issue of polygraph testing for all officers.
“We are sure he wants to consult, however, there is more room for that consultation before making decisions.
“I think that is an area where there is room for improvement. He has started fairly good but there is room for improvement. The Commissioner after one year in office he will get an A,” Dickson said.
