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  • 11 months ago
The lights are off at police stations for security reasons. So says President of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service Social and Welfare Association, Gideon Dickson, who is now calling on the Prime Minister to "revisit" his statement, that police officers are hiding from the criminal elements. Rynessa Cutting has more.
Transcript
00:00That they close the police station door, turn off the light, and be inside there hoping
00:07that the criminals don't come at them.
00:09It's the statement that has sent shockwaves through the nation, and the Police Service
00:14Social and Dual Welfare Association is speaking out against it.
00:18We don't know where he got this information from.
00:20Again, I'm saying it did not come from the police.
00:24I'm certain of that.
00:25The statement did nothing for the moral of police officers.
00:30We are calling on the Prime Minister to revisit that statement.
00:37But the Police Association President is not denying that lights are off and doors closed
00:42at police stations.
00:43However, he says it is a security measure.
00:47When night falls, that said tint does not aid in visibility or in seeing outside.
00:55So do you need that?
00:56You can, behind the tint, still see on the outside.
01:01But when night falls, that tint itself debars you from seeing what goes on on the outside.
01:11And it debars you particularly if it is the lighting is on within the station.
01:20So you have to take off that light in most charge rooms so you are able to be given,
01:25you are able to see what is going on on the outside.
01:29So that is a security measure for the limited strength that you might have in a station.
01:35President Dixon clarifies that this does not equate to stations being closed to members
01:39of the public.
01:41I could go on record and say that our stations have been operated on a 24-hour basis.
01:49So members of the public have access.
01:51A closed door does not mean that it deters you or debars you from entering and making
01:58a report.
01:59And similarly, the door being closed does not debar you from even making a report via
02:06on the phone and getting a response via our 999 system and getting a response because
02:12someone will always, or we try to redeploy the resources in such a way that a response
02:18could be given to the members of the public.
02:21He notes that the police service is significantly understaffed but continue to go above and
02:26beyond in this state of emergency period.
02:29We are well over, two years ago we were over 1,400 officers short and I am to get some
02:35data today which will suggest that we are well over 1,500 officers short.
02:39He's calling on the Prime Minister to take action.
02:43Use this office to assist us to have the resources, particularly the manpower that is necessary
02:49that was promised from 2023-2024 budget, have that optimised so we will have more.
02:55And we will be able to be even more effective than we are at this point in time.
03:00TV6 News has reached out to the Prime Minister seeking a response.
03:04Renessa Cutting, TV6 News.
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