Senior Reporter
dareece.polo@guardian.co.tt
Former acting police commissioner Stephen Williams is sharply criticising the manner in which top cop Erla Harewood-Christopher was arrested and released last week, warning that the handling of the situation could have undermined the country’s stability.
Harewood-Christopher was detained on Thursday in connection with the importation of two sniper rifles for the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) in 2023. She was released on Saturday without charge.
Williams, who led the T&T Police Service (TTPS) from 2012 to 2018, yesterday said the entire operation violated best practices, given the high office held by Harewood-Christopher.
“What happened here, it’s really unprofessional. It’s unprofessional, it’s unprecedented, it’s ugly. This was done messy,” he said in a telephone interview, describing the series of events as unplanned, perhaps due to inexperience or a lack of guidance.
He said while nobody is above the law, certain privileges should have been afforded to the CoP.
“When you’re doing things, you don’t just act. You think about the consequences of your actions before you act. A movement like what occurred there, that could destabilise the organisation. It could destabilise a country. Because we’re not talking about a corporal or a constable or a sergeant at the lower level, we’re talking about the head of an organisation. That could trigger so many flowing events that Trinidad and Tobago, in a State of Emergency, things could have turned out real messy according to who is the leader,” he said.
He added that Harewood-Christopher should have only been detained if there was sufficient evidence to charge her, and a junior officer should never have been the one to interrogate her.
“If you have to deal with a person like a commissioner, deputy commissioner, assistant commissioner in the organisation, you would not detain that person for days. The point at which you will arrest that person is the point where you have satisfied yourself you have sufficient evidence, compelling evidence, to prosecute that person for an offence,” he explained.
Former top cop Dwayne Gibbs, the Canadian national who served as CoP from 2010 to 2012, declined to speculate on the procedures or motives used in Harewood-Christopher’s arrest. However, he noted that any legal firearms, ammunition, or explosives allowed into T&T must be approved and signed off by the CoP.
“The weapons in question therefore, if brought into T&T ‘legally’, would have had to have come to the attention of the CoP and been approved by her, to be legally in the country. I’m sure she would be constantly signing off on weapons and ammunition for all active protective agencies in Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.
He added: “The reasons for any acquisitions would be presented to her and it would be routine for her to sign, thus allowing them into the country. Any other weapons, explosives, etc. found in T&T would be considered illegal, if they had not been approved by the commissioner.”
Hinds defends Govt’s response
In response to critics who have raised concerns over the silence from National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds and Minister iwith responsibility for the TTPS, Keith Scotland, Hinds yesterday defended Government’s stance, saying Prime Minister Rowley had already clearly articulated its position.
He emphasised that his ministry’s position aligns with what Rowley had said during the opening of the fishing facility in Grand Chemin, Moruga, on Friday.
“He (Rowley), speaking authoritatively and truthfully and wisely as prime minister, spoke so comprehensively, I consider it sufficiently reflective of his Government’s position. And his position is these matters are matters for the police, the DPP and any questions in relation to details around them should be directed to those two,” Hinds said in a telephone interview.
“He indicated quite appositely that the Government, meaning the executives, meaning ministers of Government, plays no role in the matters that you all raised with him and in which you are now raising with me. So, I consider that the prime minister’s comments are quite adequate, and I take it his other ministers will be guided by that for the time being,” he continued.
However, political analyst Winford James criticised the Government’s response, suggesting they were neglecting their responsibility to the nation.
James argued that Rowley’s response seemed like an attempt to absolve himself of responsibility. As the head of Government, he said Rowley must remain informed and engaged, or risk further eroding public trust.
“Rowley seems to be suggesting that he’s wiping his hands of that state of affairs, what has happened, but he can’t. As the chief executive of our country, he has to keep being informed of what’s going on and people are going to ask the question, whether ignorantly or wisely, ‘what is the government doing?’
“And the opposition is going to exploit the vulnerabilities of the government in this matter, except we are the worst laughing stocks that you can find anywhere in the world,” he said.
He added, “There’s a whole imbroglio going on here and the Government cannot afford to be quiet on this matter. We have a government, you know, we have an executive, we have a cabinet. Somebody has to speak definitively on this matter in a way that makes sense.”
Meanwhile, political scientist Dr Bishnu Ragoonath agreed that the situation was highly problematic and suggested that Government has questions to answer. He also raised concerns about why the Police Service Commission (PolSC) decided to remove Harewood-Christopher given that she was not charged.
“Those are the messy parts of the equation that we are to deal with and the Government is going to have to answer. Now, of course, the Government is going to try to wash their hands and say, ‘is not we is the police service commission’. But we all know for a fact that the prime minister and his dealings with a former police service commission and what transpired out of it. Is anybody going to believe that the prime minister doesn’t have or isn’t exerting influence on the police service commission?”