SAUTT fires British national who wrote "disrespectful" email

A report in the Trinidad Express Friday said SAUTT has fired a British national employed with the elite police squad for circulating a "disrespectful and disturbing" email regarding members of the local Police Service.

The report said SAUTT's Public Affairs officer Steve Henry confirmed that Jon Mattick was fired for bringing the organisation into disrepute.

"We can confirm that disciplinary action has been taken against a SAUTT officer following the circulation of an offensive email on Monday September 20, 2010. We would like to stress that the views contained in this email were the officer's personal opinion and in no way represent the views of this organisation.

"SAUTT finds the circulation of this type of offensive email to be totally unacceptable and the officer has been sent home, pending a decision by the SAUTT executive on what further disciplinary action should be taken," Henry said in an email to the paper.

The offending email was sent out in response to the Government's decision to terminate the services of Brigadier Peter Joseph as SAUTT's director, the Express said.

The paper said it obtained a copy of Mattick's email, which went out within hours of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar's announcement that Joseph was fired.

The Express reported that the email said: "Our day-to-day experience of over-promoted, incompetent, idiotic, serving and retired TTPS senior officers within our own organisation will have illustrated to you all the incredibly low calibre of those leading the main law enforcement agency on the island."

The Express said Mattick stated that he was "saddened, astonished and shattered by Government's decision to send Brigadier Joseph home" describing Joseph as one of the few people in the country with "the vision, drive and ability to turn the tables against the overwhelming tidal wave of criminality facing your country".

It added, "This is undoubtedly the most serious injustice ever laid against any individual or leader in the history of your island nation. This man was, and is, a hero of your country. I find it difficult to find words to express my disgust at the events unfolding," Mattick stated.