- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 18/Jul 16:09

Griffith slams SoE as a ‘sign of operational weakness’

FORMER police commissioner Gary Griffith has sharply criticised the decision by Commissioner of Police (CoP) Allister Guevarro to request a state of emergency (SoE), calling it a sign of operational weakness and a misuse of national security protocols. The SoE, which came into effect on July 18, was based on intelligence suggesting organised criminal gangs, both inside and outside the prison system, were planning attacks on politicians and public officials. Guevarro, speaking at a media briefing on July 18 at the Police Administration Building in Port of Spain, said the threats were credible and immediate, prompting an urgent appeal to the government. However, in a strongly worded WhatsApp video, Griffith condemned both the public disclosure of the recommendation and the rationale behind it. “This is stupidity at the highest level,” Griffith said. “Why would the police issue a media release admitting they cannot secure the country, even before the government made a decision? You're not just informing the public: you're informing the criminals.” Griffith, who served as commissioner from 2018 to 2021, argued such correspondence should have remained classified under national security protocols. He likened the media release to “a Special Branch report being made public.” He also questioned whether the intelligence cited justified a nationwide SoE. “The threat is confined to specific individuals and locations. You don't call a state of emergency across the country for a problem inside one prison. That’s not strategy: it’s panic.” Griffith accused the police leadership of failing to implement effective crime-fighting measures that are already available without invoking emergency powers. “Everything that can be done under an SoE can be done now, except detaining suspects without charge and entering homes without warrants,” he said. “This shows a lack of tactical and strategic thinking.” He further criticised the lack of action from the newly established Ministry of Justice, which he said was specifically designed to address issues in the prison system, including gang influence and unauthorised communication by inmates. “I drafted that ministry years ago to prevent exactly this kind of situation,” said Griffith, who previously served as a national security minister during the 2010-2015 People's Partnership administration, also led then by Kamla Persad-Bissessar. “Three months in, and the ministry has been silent. That silence has forced the police into calling for an SoE they shouldn’t need.” At the same press briefing on July 18, Guevarro defended the decision, saying once the intelligence was received, he acted swiftly to neutralise the threat. This included overseeing the relocation of gang leaders from the Maximum Security Prison to more secure facilities. Despite the declaration of an SoE, no curfew has been implemented. Guevarro said public daily life would not be restricted and police operations would focus on dismantling the criminal networks behind recent violent incidents. Griffith, however, remains unconvinced. “A CoP begging for a SoE to manage a contained threat signals a failure in leadership. Covert operations should be covert, not broadcast to the nation and its criminal elements,” he said. The post Griffith slams SoE as a ‘sign of operational weakness’ appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.