http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Mohammed_gets_a_taste_of__police_rudeness_-111238889.htmlCHAIRMAN of the Police Service Commission (PSC) Nizam Mohammed yesterday said he got a taste of "police rudeness" during an incident when he was stopped by two police officers on traffic duties in Port of Spain.
Mohammed said he was surprised at the treatment meted out to him by WPC Marlene Gittens and PC Sean Batson, after the officers stopped his vehicle at the corner of Henry Street and Independence Square shortly after midday.
Mohammed said, he was proceeding to his Queen Street office, where he had to attend a statutory meeting with Commissioner of Police Dwayne Gibbs and the CoP's deputies Stephen Williams, Maurice Piggott and Jack Ewatski.
Mohammed said as far as he was concerned, he did not violate any law, but challenged the officers to initiate prosecution against him if they felt he violated any traffic laws.
"What? I failed to follow a lawful instruction? If the lady (WPC Gittens) is saying that I failed to obey a lawful instruction, well then, let her charge me... I have not broken any law," Mohammed told the Express during a phone interview last evening.
Mohammed said after he was pulled over by the officers he became fearful for his life after a crowd of people approached his vehicle and began threatening him.
He said while proceeding along Independence Square, he was stopped by Gittens. He said he told the officer his name and that he was chairman of the Police Service Commission and had to attend a meeting at his Queen Street office with Commissioner of Police and his three deputies. Gittens, he said, gave him the clearance to proceed unto Henry Street.
He said he attempted to call the cell phones of Gibbs, Williams and Piggott, but did not get through but eventually got on to Ewatski, who requested to speak with Gittens, but the officer refused to take the call.
Mohammed said, "She (Gittens) told me to go ahead and the next thing is that I am in the traffic jam, on Henry Street between Queen Street and Independence Square, and she came up with a male police officer and knocked on my window and told me to pull aside, and I pulled aside.
"They told me they wanted my insurance and driver's permit and I gave it to them, and they handed it back to me. Then a man with a half-empty beer bottle came up and started threatening me and started talking about 'lock him up' and that kind of thing, and that is what forced me to call (Ewatski) for help."
He said, "I was virtually shaken, you know, because when the crowd gathered and were threatening me, they (Gittens and Batson) did absolutely nothing... I had a good taste of police rudeness to members of the public. They endangered my life and I was scared to death," Mohammed said.
Mohammed added he took a while to locate his certificate of insurance because it was mixed up with other documents in his vehicle. He said Batson told him, "But I ask you for your insurance certificate."
"I said 'give me minute, let me call the Commissioner because you all seem not to want to listen to me'. He said (Batson) 'well if the Commissioner has your insurance certificate, call him'."
Mohammed said up to late yesterday, the officers did not inform him that he committed any offence nor was he warned of any intended prosecution.