Tuesday, August 11 2009

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James Philbert...

Following an investigation into the discovery of a cache of weapons and narcotics at the St Joseph Police Station, Acting Police Commissioner James Philbert hopes to remove the criminal elements responsible for the illegal items.

Now, the greatest task for Philbert and the Police Service is once again restoring public confidence.

“The main thing about the police is serving the public,” Philbert said in a phone interview yesterday.

He explained that the first measure of trying to do damage control, without moving unfairly on any of the officers now under question, was to transfer the 15 officers out of the CID department.

“It is in the interest of the public,” he said.

Just before midday Saturday, Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIU) detectives conducted a raid in an office assigned to a senior officer.

There they reportedly found six firearms, including a Beretta pistol and home-made shotgun, hidden in the ceiling of the office.

The CIU officers also recovered a quantity of cocaine and marijuana in a locker room in the building. The items had not been logged at the station. As a first part of disciplinary action for the illegal items, with immediate effect, all 15 officers from the CID department were transferred to other stations.

ASP Martinez has been detailed to investigate the matter.

Philbert said that while he could not determine how long the investigation was likely to last, he was hoping to have the mystery solved soon.

“What can I tell you about the investigation? It is on-going and we are hoping to get to the bottom of this because this is a very serious thing,” said Philbert.

“We are hoping that it (the investigation) won’t take too long.”

Meantime, president of the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Angella Persad called on the Acting Police Commissioner to rid the Police Service of rogue elements in order to restore public confidence.

“...Acting Police Commissioner Mr James Philbert must act decisively to weed out all corrupt practices in the Police Service if he wants to build public confidence and trust in his officers,” Persad stated in a release yesterday.

She noted that there should be “zero tolerance” for corrupt officers, with the offending officers made to face the full brunt of the law.

“It is imperative that offending officers are brought to justice post haste and penalised to the full extent of the law with maximum accountability and transparency to the public,” said Persad.

She noted that such a crime, as it occurred within the Police Service, should be given the fullest attention by investigators.

“The people of Trinidad and Tobago deserve and demand a Police Service which is committed to ridding the country of crime and corruption. The Chamber thus reiterates its call for zero tolerance against crime wherever it may be, and most specifically when it occurs within the Police Service,” added the Chamber president.