CoP Williams angry about police behaviour in video

File: Stephen Williams

Acting Commission of Police (CoP) Stephen Williams told reporters Wednesday he considers the action of a police officer who slapped a citizen before taking him to a marked police car, "reprehensible, unacceptable and unprofessional."

Williams was referring to a video clip that purports to show a plainclothes police officer slapping a man and then taking him away in a marked police car.

Watch the video:

National Security Minister Jack Warner, head of the Police Complaints Authority Gillian Lucky, and Williams have all said they have seen the video. The CoP spoke about it at a police media briefing. "On behalf of the organisation I will like to state that there can be no justification for such reprehensible conduct of any police officer," Williams said.

"The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service will never support officers behaving in such unacceptable manners. I see it as unprofessional and we are really working hard at getting a professional organisation and it is incidents like these which take away from the hard work of officers as we seek to build a professional organisation," Williams added.

Williams said the matter is being "effectively addressed" and has been deemed as "high priority". However the said the officer in question will remain on duty during the investigation.

The man identified in the video is Terrence Augustine. He appeared before a San Fernando magistrate on Tuesday charged with resisting arrest, assaulting constable Richard Kishore and using insulting language