On 3 February 2021, as Trinidad and Tobago was gripped by a search for 23-year-old clerk Andrea Bharatt, blogger Rhoda Bharath—a UWI lecturer—sounded an alarm over the behaviour of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), then headed by Police Commissioner Gary Griffith, in the discharging of its duties. “Oh …
Read More »Daly Bread: Compromising due process of law is potential catalyst for wider social unrest
Public trust and confidence in the capacity of our country’s institutions and high offices to make full disclosure and to observe due process of law has again been shaken. Compromising due process is a potential catalyst for wider social unrest because of the way in which the authorities manipulate the …
Read More »Noble: The Pimping of East Port of Spain; how T&T abused “Eastmoorings” for decades
Our national anthem urges us to have “boundless faith in our destiny”. It affirms that “here every creed and race find an equal place” and “may God bless our Nation”. Do these lofty words meet reality? Do these words apply to the people of Laventille, or are they to be …
Read More »Noble: Not waiting for night to come—why Dr Rowley dismounted the tiger
As a child, I learned a saying, ‘Don’t wait until night comes to light a candle to see what you could see in the day’! By this, my mother meant, ‘Don’t wait for a problem to come upon you when it could have been prevented long beforehand’. As a purveyor …
Read More »Dear Editor: Griffith is a victim?! What about Jacobs, Diamond, Clinton and ‘Solo’ Morris?!
“[…] Now we have a national brouhaha about the legality of GG’s leave and whether he was told not to return. Forgive me but the degree of hypocrisy has reached Everest-like suffocation levels…” The following Letter to the Editor discussing the public reactions to the issue of the appointment of …
Read More »Noble: Will the TTPS save us? Or is T&T leaning on a false messiah?
Distressingly amid the national uproar over our women’s ill-treatment and murders, we gravitate to accepting a ‘macho’ solution that wreaks violence upon those who threaten us. We should reflect on how likely this path would take us to our desired goal of safety for all, particularly our women. Will we …
Read More »Griffith: Politicians are the real monsters! CoP fires back at Persad-Bissessar and Nakhid
Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith, in his trademark rhetoric, responded to concerns expressed by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Senator David Nakhid about the deaths of Andrew ‘Solo’ Morris and Joel Belcon while in police custody with personal attacks today, via a Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) release. Griffith …
Read More »PCA investigate death of Andrea murder suspects, TTPS court absences and DSS arrest
The following press statement was issued by the Police Complaints Authority (PCA): The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) has initiated investigations into three recent and serious allegations against the Trinidad and Tobago Police. 1. An investigation has begun into the circumstances surrounding the deaths, of Andrew Morris and Joel Belcon on …
Read More »Dear editor: Did TTPS ‘plant’ evidence in Morvant killing? Will there be consequences?
“[…] On the fateful day, the Guard and Emergency Branch not only moved the bodies but also picked up spent shells, wrecked the vehicle and left the scene bare—as if nothing happened there 15 minutes ago. It left the crime scene investigators with almost nothing to work with when they …
Read More »Police lives matter! Griffith rejects PCA recommendation on Morvant killings
Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith has refused to implement the recommendation from Police Complaints Authority (PCA) director David West on the police killings of Joel Jacobs, Mr Israel Moses Clinton and Mr Noel Diamond in Morvant on 27 June. Yesterday, West ‘formally advised the commissioner of police that officers involved …
Read More »Suspend them! PCA advises Commissioner to suspend officers in Morvant killings
The following is a press statement from the communications department of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA): The Director of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) David West has formally advised the Commissioner of police that officers involved in the 27 June fatal shooting of Mr Joel Jacobs, Mr Israel Moses Clinton …
Read More »NJAC: Suspend all policemen involved in Morvant killing—as matter of principle
“[…] NJAC believes that contrary to what has been recently expressed by the commissioner of police, the suspension of the officers should not be determined by the number of officers involved—but rather based on principle and process. Such action would ensure that the investigative process is transparent and would engender …
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