Secretary of the Police Service Social and Welfare Association Insp Michael Seales said the association had washed its hands of the officer, dressed in uniform, who was caught on video wining on several women at a fete last Sunday.
The acting police sergeant attached to the West End Police Station was caught on tape for nine seconds wining on a patron at Sunny Side Up. Several other photos showing the same officer wining with different women surfaced on social media, after the association supported the officer for wining with his wife.
The issue of police officers wining with patrons was first raised during a pre-carnival press conference, by Gold Commander DCP Harold Phillip, who warned revellers that aggressive wining on police officers could land them into trouble.
On Wednesday, acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams during a Carnival post-mortem media briefing said that officers were guided by their training and were held to a high standard by the public. Williams also said an investigation had been launched into the wining officer’s conduct. In a telephone interview yesterday, Seales said the association could not defend the indefensible.
“He has to stand on his own because what he did showed an act of indiscretion. Now we don’t even believe that it was his wife (he was gyrating on in the video). As an officer you must respect the uniform,” Seales said. He added that the officer’s conduct was tantamount to discreditable conduct and was punishable by sanctions ranging from a reprimand, to forfeiture of pay, demotion or dismissal. Seales said the officer painted the police service in a negative light.
On Thursday, while being supported by his president Insp Anand Ramesar, Seales had said, “The whole thing has been blown out of proportion. We want to promote healthy living between a spouse and her husband. We would want to applaud him because we are talking about him maintaining his marriage.”
Seales added that he had seen people in uniform belonging to other arms of the National Security dance with their significant partners in the past, but since the police officer was seen gyrating some derogatory comments were made.
When the T&T Guardian sought a comment from the wining officer yesterday, he questioned why he was now being asked his views long after the story was published. He declined to comment saying he had to speak to his lawyer. In a subsequent interview he said “no comment.”
Head of the Western Division, Snr Supt Ishmael David, when contacted yesterday said he was aware that the acting Commissioner of Police had ordered an investigation into the incident but was unaware of who was appointed the investigator or whether the investigation had begun.