RHONDOR DOWLAT-ROSTANT
A total of 105 police officers have tested positive for COVID-19 with one death, up to late yesterday.
With the numbers rising daily, police officers are becoming weary and are calling for an immediate intervention by the Police Commissioner Gary Griffith and health officials.
Some police officers are alleging that police stations and vehicles are not being sanitised frequently on a daily basis as it ought too.
Speaking with the Guardian Media, president of the T&T Police Service Social and Welfare Association Insp Gideon Dickson described the sanitisation processes as “tedious.”
“There is much room for improvement with regards to sanitisation and the provision of PPE for police officers because their lives continue to be at risk,” he said.
Dickson said the number of police officers/TTPS employees currently on quarantine is at 691, including 20 civilians who work within the TTPS, “671 are officers that are currently in quarantine,” he noted.
“ The number of police officers/TTPS employees that have tested positive stands at 107 which consists of 105 Police officers and two civilians,” he added.
Dickson confirmed that 2,523 police officers/TTPS employees that was on quarantine and have since resumed duty, “the number of police officers that was on quarantine and has since resumed duty– 2,456 and the number of civilians that was on quarantine and has since resumed duty is 67.”
Asked if the association has approached Griffith with the alarming figures and other issues, Dickson replied: “We are in constant contact with the TTPS Gold Commander re Covid-19 ACP Wendell Williams.”
When contacted Griffith said it is over 10 per cent of the TTPS’ active strength is right now in quarantine.
He said, “The number that would have already been in quarantine is over 2500 which is over one-third of all the officers being in quarantine at one time or the other and that obviously takes a toll on us because it is a domino effect.”
With regards to sanitisation and PPE for officers, Griffith said, “That is ongoing on a regular basis in fact not just the buildings and especially when someone is tested positive but also the vehicles. If it have two police officers on a patrol in a vehicle and if by chance one of them maybe positive and we don’t know when he comes out of that vehicle and others then have to rotate and use the same vehicle because one vehicle could end up with several pairs of officers in a 24-hour period so that’s why there’s constant sanitisation of vehicles because any time the TTPS becomes cripple it will affect the national security of the country.”
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Update as at 5 pm yesterday
Number of police officers/TTPS employees currently on quarantine: 691
Number of police officers on quarantine: 671
Number of civilians: 20
Number of police officers/TTPS employees tested positive: 107
Number of police officers tested positive: 105
Number of civilians tested positive: 2
Number of police officers/TTPS employees that was on quarantine and has since resumed duty: 2523
Number of police officers that was on quarantine and has since resumed duty: 2456
Number of civilians that was on quarantine and has since resumed duty: 67