Acting Commissioner of Police (CoP) Stephen Williams says if his colleagues are not happy with his leadership he will walk away from the T&T Police Service (TTPS). He made the comment in a telephone interview yesterday, as he responded to a media report that Government had considered a plan to amend the Police Service Commission Act so it could remove him from office and fast track the appointment of a junior to the top post.
The move was said to have been discussed at Cabinet, with the minister who proposed it offering recently appointed Superintendent Johnny Abraham, current head of the Central Division, as the man to replace Williams due to his success in curbing crime in his region. The move was reportedly eventually stopped because it did not receive the support of the Police Service Social and Welfare Association.
Contacted yesterday, Williams said he would always do his job to the fullest whether he held the substantive post or not. Asked if he was threatened by the thought that he could eventually be overlooked for the substantive post, Williams said: “Nothing threatens me. There is a God and if you believe that God has a specific role for you to play then that is for you.
“If you are a garbage collector, be the best garbage collector there is. I am a police officer and I will do my best no matter what position I hold.” Williams said he has been given five extensions as acting CoP spanning over two years and he was comfortable with what he has achieved. He said the progress and changes made under his leadership were comforting to him and his membership.
“If my people are no longer supporting me then I would be the first to go,” he said, adding he is of the age where he could retire and receive gratuity and pension from the State.
Abraham: I’d serve with pride
Also contacted yesterday, Supt Abraham said he had been busy in the field for much of the day but had been told about the story which suggested he was tipped to lead the service. He said when he got a calling to join the service he did so with an open mind not sure it was what he really wanted to do but now he would not have it any other way. “I do my job with pride. If I do get the call I would accept it with open arms. Who wouldn’t want to aspire to be the head of their organisation?” Abraham said.
“I am not one who believes in crime plans, I am an action man and day to day there is a presence of police officers outside.” If he does eventually get the post, Abraham said he would mandate that police patrol the streets more, adding that as far as he is concerned only two police are needed in a station at a time.
He said his success in the Central Division was achieved because he and his colleagues are on the ground patrolling the region from Caroni in the north to Claxton Bay in the south. He said when his colleagues see him out in the field it motivates them to work harder. He said if he was to give up his love of policing he would go into agriculture.
Welfare body supports Williams
Also contacted yesterday, Police Service Social and Welfare Association president, Insp Anand Ramesar, said Williams had done a commendable job as interim head of the TTPS. He said Williams’s claim that he would step down if he is not supported by his colleagues was a credit to him, but said this should be adopted by others, particularly in the Ministry of National Security.
Ramesar said in the first division, Williams is the only man fitting the CoP status and priority should be placed on confirming him as the commissioner. But he said there was too much political interference in the running of the service. “There is no excuse for the Government, the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Ministry of National Security to allow the post to remain as it is for so long.
“This has done more harm than good to the police service, as it shows a failure in succession planning and a deterioration in morale in the TTPS,” he said. He added: “Instead of seeing the CoP is appointed, what we are seeing is a set of substitute products and for us this undermines the role and function of the TTPS and the CoP.
“We are heading into 2015 and there seems to be no appearance to fix the situation. The association is of the view that the PSC has run its course and no longer serves its purpose.” Asked what he meant by substitute products, Ramesar said the implementation of the Rapid Response Unit, the Praedial Larceny Squad and the Community Comfort Patrol (CCP) were some of the units not directly under the control of the CoP.
Griffith: It’s out of my hands
National Security Minister Gary Griffith said yesterday that he has done all he can on the process of appointing a CoP. He said legally, the only body that can make a recommendation for the post is the PSC, which is now at a standstill following the resignation of chairman, Prof Ramesh Deosaran, on August 1. He added that only the President can appoint a new PSC head and until that is done Williams remains.
He said while the acting position may hinder the promotion process and contribute to low morale, Williams has all the powers although he is acting. “My aim is to reduce crime in this country and that is my goal,” Griffith said when asked about the setting up of the substitute units. However, he noted that in no country are there neighbourhood watch groups which report to the police and dismissed Ramesar’s argument that the CCP circumvents the commissioner’s authority.
Williams: New direction in 2015
Williams says there will be a greater emphasis on other aspects of policing aimed at reducing the murder rate and reducing other serious crimes in 2015. He said while his men have been focusing on gun recoveries this year, they would not be able to properly tackle gun-related crimes because the TTPS is not responsible for the patrolling of the borders where the guns are entering.
But he reiterated that the issue of tackling crime cannot be the police’s responsibility alone. “This goes beyond raw policing but to the issue of quality of life and human behaviour. The churches and other places of worship, the family, the schools, they must all play a part. “They have a critical role to play. It is about society building. We speak about it but we are not doing anything about it.”
Williams said while the TTPS is not a psychological institution, contemporary police now have to adopt the role of mentor, psychologists and in some cases parental figures. He said the service now has 101 police youth clubs and the aim is to curb criminality tomorrow by changing the mindset of the youth today.