PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Oct 17, CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago government Tuesday received a 600-page Police Manpower Audit Committee Report with a warning that it contained recommendations to counter the “business as usual” within the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS).
The committee, which was chaired by criminologist Professor Ramesh Deosaran, was tasked with examining the existing manpower strength at all ranks and related units of the Police Service as well as making a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the extent to which the expected levels of efficiency, effectiveness and accountability have been achieved
The committee, which took nine months to undertake the assignment, was also asked to carry out an examination of the developmental policies and the current standards and practices in the recruitment, deployment, training and career progression of officers.
Deosaran, a former legislator, told the handing over ceremony that “we believe it cannot be business as usual with the police service or matters related to national security”.
He said while there had been several previous reports regarding the police, the recommendations had not been acted upon.
“We have the confidence in you and your government that this report will certainly not suffer a similar fate,’ Deosaran said, reminding Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley of his instructions when the committee was appointed “that there would be no sacred cow.
‘We well understand the implications of that because to move a system from one point to another, which is normally called transformation, you are going to have to mash a few corns,” Deosaran said, adding that the 600 page document was based on factual information.
“You also told us you wanted a report with facts as far as possible and indeed we have done that. Whatever we have recommended rest as far as we have measured on the facts of the case.
“That is a difference between this particular committee and previous committees which had relied mainly on interviews and opinions. This committee has therefore gone much deeper than that and trying to fulfil your own expectations”.
He said the report is really to help the police, public safety, the government so that the economics of the country will be more favourable in terms of freedom to walk anywhere, improved services “because while crime is a number one problem the economics is also a number one problem and the two are strongly related”.
Prime Minister Rowley sought to assure the committee that the work would not be left in his office to gather dust, saying it would be sent to the parliament soon.
“It would be inconceivable that we can now receive this report after nine months of hard work and allow it to be on any shelf,” he said, noting that in his office “there is no shelf.
“Therefore there is no chance of this going on any shelf. Where this is going is to the Parliament. It is going to the Cabinet on Thursday, I have the support of my colleagues that it would be dealt with immediately and even before I read anything in here…this document is on its way to the Joint Select Committee of the Parliament,” Rowley said.
He said the document will also be made public.
Government receives report on manpower audit of Trinidad and Tobago Police Service
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