By SEAN DOUGLAS Sunday, February 10 2008

CHAGUANAS West MP Jack Warner is bitterly disappointed Commissioner of Police (CoP) Trevor Paul rejected his offer to refurbish the Chaguanas Police Station, said a statement yesterday from Warner’s press officer, Ved Ramkissoon.

On Friday, Warner wrote Paul commending the officers of Central Division but lamenting the dilapidation of the Chaguanas Police Station and the many derelict vehicles on the compound.

Warner offered to relocate the derelicts to Caroni lands, and to refurbish the police station by painting it, installing windows, renovating the offices of the senior superintendent and inspectors, and fixing the sewer system.

However by yesterday, Paul had written Warner rejecting his help but saying how touched and heartened he was by the offer.

Paul said refurbishment works on the police station are ongoing and would be completed in due course.

The CoP blamed the delay in refurbishment on the inability of the initial contractors to meet the completion deadline. He said the Ministry of National Security is reviewing proposals to select a new contractor. The refurbishment, said Paul, is being done in two phases, with phase one, which houses the Model Station, already completed, while phase two involves major innovations.

Welcoming Warner’s concern for the officers’ discomfort, Paul said’s “Surely, this is not what the administration of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service would want for its police officers, but it is no fault of ours that the initial contractors did not complete the repair works within the promised deadline date.”

But in an immediate response yesterday, Warner expressed his upset at Paul’s rejection of help, especially given the regular appeals by Paul and Minister of National Security Martin Joseph for help against crime.

Warner said, “At least he could have done the proper thing and contacted me on the offer before rejecting it outright. It is really disappointing. However, my offer is still open and I am prepared to assist in other ways.” Warner challenged the CoP’s remarks about the pace of work at the station. “Refurbishment works have been going on for the past four years, with very little progress and there are little signs of when they would be completed. The Government has admitted that it cannot build a police station in five years. What does ‘due course’ mean?”

Recalling his own service as a Special Reserve Police (SRP) officer at Chaguanas Police Station years ago, Warner expressed his empathy for the serving officers.