I think this guy will try his best to clean up the police service....anyhow.
COPS IN TROUBLE
By Akile Simon akile.simon@trinidadexpress.com
Story Created: Nov 26, 2010 at 12:28 AM ECT
Story Updated: Nov 26, 2010 at 3:32 AM ECT
POLICE probing the murder of Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago employee Kenny Goddard have unearthed a corrupt practice involving three of their colleagues and a TSTT employee, who were providing security for work crews in high risk areas.
Three police officers assigned to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) are now facing criminal and disciplinary charges.
Two of the officers, who are constables, were performing unauthorised “extra duties”, investigators said, near Peake’s gas station in Cocorite on Sunday, but fled the scene after Goddard, 38, of Goya Street, El Dorado was shot and killed by a gunman.
Investigators described the killing as a hit and TSTT has offered a reward of $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killers.
Sources said the officers, who were not close to the work site when the shooting incident occurred, reportedly fled the scene moments after, even before police responded to the report and did not pursue the suspect or the getaway car.
The two officers, who performed a similar duty the day before dressed in police uniform, were this time dressed in civilian clothing and were in an unmarked vehicle belonging to TSTT, investigators said.
The other officer, a sergeant, has been identified as the third person who allowed the officers to perform the illegal duties in collaboration with a senior TSTT employee.
Police sources yesterday told the Express that even though there was no official record in any police diary or register stating that the officers had been given approval to perform guard duties, investigators were able identify the two officers who fled the scene after Goddard was shot.
One police source said that TSTT’s management was not aware that a TSTT employee worked-hand-in-hand with the sergeant to provide armed police officers to perform guard duties for pay.
Contacted last evening for a comment in relation to the latest allegations, TSTT's Head of Public Relations and External Affairs Camille Salandy said that the company was “working very closely with the police” in its investigation and at the appropriate time, once clearance is given from the police, TSTT would issue a full statement.
On Tuesday, TSTT's Vice President of Human Resources and Administration, Edghill Messiah, said there was no breach of protocol in the hiring of police officers to protect the 14-man crew at Cocorite.
“The officers were procured through official channels, as is our prescribed procedure in these situations whenever we have to work like this,” Messiah said.
“We made an approach to the police and we will tell them the nature of work we're doing and the number of staff that will be there and the police will then say how many officers they think should be at the scene. In this instance we did just that and two officers were sent.”
He said the officers were also there on Saturday in police in full uniform were on duty when the crew began the job, but said he did not know why they were not also in uniform on Sunday.
“We cannot say at this point why they were not in uniform on the Sunday but we know that they were there,” he said.
However, a senior police source said: “Based on what we have gathered so far, the company’s management had absolutely no idea as to what was taking place at a lower level in the company. It appears to be a direct connection with a particular TSTT employee and one of the officers, to perform the unauthorised duties,” the source said.
The Express was reliably informed that the IATF officers, who had been conducting similar duties with TSTT, had their own receipt books and would issue receipts to TSTT, purportedly to be on behalf of the Police Service, for payment.
Officers attached to the Western Division have stood their ground that they never received an official request from TSTT for guard duties last weekend.
“The monies were never paid at the Western Division’s headquarters at the St James Police Station, simply because the requests never came to the division, as it should have. This thing was being done under the table and the employee would directly contact the sergeant, who would send the constables to perform the duties,” the senior police source said.
“This has been happening long time now. Finally the law has caught up them... Let’s see them get away from this one because they failed to even respond to the crime and that’s a serious offence,” a police source at the IATF told the Express.
Goddard is expected to be laid to rest later today after a funeral service at the Tranquility Methodist Church, Tragarete Road in Port of Spain.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Illegal-extra-duties-110739764.html