Revellers have been warned this Carnival: Do not wine on any police officer. Aggressive wining can land you in jail if the officer becomes fearful. So said acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Harold Phillip, the Gold Commander in charge of security operations for Carnival 2015. Speaking at the weekly police briefing at the Police Administration Building, Port-of-Spain, he also warned that covering yourself in body paint alone and lewd behaviour could also land a reveller in jail.
Phillip said someone covered in body paint alone was regarded as being lewd and this was an offence. “Well certainly being lewd in the public is in fact an offence and with respect to wining on police officers performing duties we will ask the public to desist in so doing. “It normally goes with the time but we also expect the officer to act responsibly and we also hope the public will conduct themselves in a responsible manner. If you are naked that is an offence,” Phillip added.
Asked if it was illegal to “wine” on a police officer, Phillip said no. He said such an action could not be regarded as an assault since by its definition an assault would require that the person apprehended fear. “Normally someone taking a casual touch... we would exercise a high degree of discretion during Carnival. So once someone doesn’t dirty our uniforms or if they don’t adhere to our instructions things can go to the next level but basically we are extremely tolerant and we take it in stride,” Phillip said.
On the issue of sufficient manpower for the season, Phillip said despite threats by the Police Association to boycott events, police officers would be out in full force. If officers did not show up for duty, Phillip said, there was a contingency plan in place. He said there were also 173 recruits in training, who would be sworn in as police officers before Carnival and were capable of making arrests and carrying out other policing functions.
Apart from the recruits the special reserve officers, municipal police, Parliament police, transit police, traffic wardens and the T&T Defence Force would assist, he said. Phillip said the issue of glass bottles being banned for Carnival had been discussed and was now in the hands of the Government for possible inclusion in the Carnival regulations.
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Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Harold Phillip said even though he has been put in charge of security operations for Carnival 2015, it will not distract him from investigating allegations against former attorney general Anand Ramlogan on claims of attempting to pervert the course of justice. Asked if he would be able to complete his other tasks, he said: “All work that we are so detailed to do, we do it to the best of our ability.”
Phillip made no further comments, saying he was there to respond to Carnival-related matters.