Police chief says drug, ammunition bust at St Joseph was a "betrayal"

Acting Police Commissioner James Philbert said Wednesday the discovery of guns, ammunition and drugs at the St Joseph Police station last weekend was an "act of betrayal" that cuts "deep into the very heart of the Police service."

Philbert made the comments at a media briefing to discuss the matter, which has led to the transfer of 40 officers from St Joseph to several stations along the country's East-West corridor.

The police chief pledged to seek out the perpetrators and bring them to justice. He said as a starting point he will have most of the officers allegedly involved fingerprinted and subjected to DNA testing.

He said there was a similar incident in March 2008 at Sangre Grande Police Station, where a quantity of marijuana was discovered hidden in lockers. Eight officers were subsequently transferred from that station. He admitted that the matter is still under investigation, and blamed the delay on "incomplete forensic testing".

No officer has been charged in the St Joseph case. The police chief said the material seized last Saturday will have to be tested at the Forensic Science Centre in St James.

He defended the action taken so far, explaining that there was no prima facie evidence to allow the suspension of certain officers at the St Joseph Police Station.

"The law does not allow us to madly scramble people up and take them to court," he said. "We would have preferred if it was easier to pursue this manner, but we must follow the rule of law," Philbert said.

He said the transfer of officers is neither "the end process of the probe" nor punishment for the transferred lawmen.

"The idea of transferring the officers is to allow a free operation of the investigation and we wish to start afresh at St Joseph Police Station, so the general public will not be going to any ‘questionable’ officers at that station," he told reporters.