Police Association takes CoP to court; wants 21-century policing initiative stopped

The Police Service Social and Welfare Association on Friday filed an injunction against Commissioner of Police Dwayne Gibbs in an attempt to stop Gibbs from continuing with the 21st-century policing initiative. A notice of the application was also served to the Chief Personnel Officer Stephanie Lewis.

Click here to read about the 21-century policing initiative

The president of the Industrial Court, Deborah Thomas-Felix, will hear the matter.

The president of the Association, Sgt Anand Ramesar, told local media he is disappointed that the issue has to go before the court.

The first phase was launched on April 4 last year in the Western Division where there is a high incidence of crime and gang-related activities. The association claims that the policing project is ineffective.

Ramesar has claimed that initiative forces police officers to work on their off-days. He said any officer who refuses to work the extra hours is served with a letter, warning of disciplinary action.

He has said that is a breach of the rules, adding that there are other instances where the policing initiative violates the regulations. These include discrepancies in meal and overtime allowances, working hours and the general deployment of police officers whose divisions fall under the initiative.

In a recent interview with the Guardian newspaper, Deputy Commissioner of Police Jack Ewatski said he is not suprised that attempts are being made to stop the project.

Ewatski was at the time responding to a pre-action protocol letter the Association had served on Gibbs accusing the commissioner of bullying officers to work extra hours and unilaterally taking oppressive and illegal actions.

Ewatski defended the introduction of the new policing strategy and noted that the days of police officers sleeping in stations and using government vehicles for private business are over.

Ewatski, who is in charge of the initiative, said since it was introduced there has been a significant decrease in crime in the “hot-spot” area of the Western Division, where the initiative was launched.

“We also realise the public in Western Division was pleased with seeing the police much more than they did in the past. They were pleased with the level of interaction that they had with the police when they went to the police station," Ewatski told the Guardian.

He added that people were impressed with the professionalism and enhanced customer service. “Many people came up to me and said they noticed a difference,” he said.

Ewatski said some Police Service vehicles now have the Global Positioning System (GPS). “During a particular period, we could monitor how long a patrol car has been patrolling,” Ewatski said. “On top of that, we could generate reports to show exactly where a patrol vehicle was moving within the division, how often it was parked somewhere—so that accountability aspect is built into this initiative,” he said.

“We get on a daily report, the activity logs of our police officers, and they have to account for their time while they are on duty...While they are on their shift, they have to account for everything they do, including their patrol time,” he added, noting that the records must also be justified by supervisors and divisional commanders.

Ewatski said the basis of the 21st-century pilot initiative is, in effect, deployment methods. “I do not know any police agency in any developed country that deploys their officers in a manner that we do here in Trinidad and Tobago in the divisions where the initiative is not yet operational,” Ewatski said.

He said the country will not move forward in policing unless it embraces modern methods and contemporary techniques.

Ewatski noted that the new systems being introduced allow better service, which includes increased patrols and heightened police visibility. "We need to get our officers out of the stations,” he told the paper. "Police officers do not come to a station and spend the majority of time in the station in modern police organisations.”

The Deputy Commissioner also addressed concerns about meal braks and rest periods, stating that they still exist. However he said police officers are no longer allowed to sleep at stations. 

“We stagger our breaks to always ensure we do have officers out on the street,” he said. “But for anyone to think that our officers were working 12 hours without any type of break—that is absolutely incorrect.”

He said quiet rooms have replaced dormitories. “When officers take their break, it isn’t a sleep break...I am not aware of any police agency in a developed country that pays their officers to sleep,” he said. “That doesn’t happen, and I think the public and our police officers know that. “Policing is not the type of profession that you could come to a station and sleep and get paid for it.”

He praised police officers for embracing the new system and noted that there is "a minority of officers" who are resisting change.

“Change can be challenging, change can be threatening and change can be very uncomfortable...we’re asking our police officers to embrace this change because there is a need to change. If we don’t change the way we deliver our policing services, we’re going to expect the same results.”

Read the police strategic plan AGENDA FOR CHANGE 2011-2013