- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 19/Jul 02:48

Police Association confident in officers handling SoE

GIDEON DICKSON, head of the Police Service Social and Welfare Association (PSSWA) said he is confident his officers would shoulder the weight of the state of emergency (SoE) which was declared earlier on July 18 by President Christine Kangaloo. Newsday had asked how his officers felt about the SoE which would not only give them more power against criminals but also likely increase their hours on the job. "It is early days to speak to that, at this point in time," he replied. "Our only concern as an association would be the length of time that the duties would be extended for the officers. "But outside of that, we believe once there is sufficient intelligence to drive the actions and activities of law enforcement right now, to neutralise any potential threat to law-abiding citizens and to the institutions that represent justice in this country, it will not be a weight or burden that our officers cannot carry." Newsday recalled seeing police officers at City Gate and Woodford Square, both in Port of Spain, after the SoE was announced and asked him if that meant a heightened police presence. Dickson replied, "I would leave that to the citizens to determine. "The efforts in this instance (SoE) will be very surgical, very calculated and very strategic. So action and communication will speak a lot louder than mere words at this point in time." Asked his final thoughts, he said, "We are at a time in the nation's history where we ought to ensure that the safety and security of our law-abiding citizens is prioritised. "Nothing should compromise that." He said all efforts must be made to ensure citizens' safety stays as the main reason the police operate. "If we resource the police sufficiently, then subsequent results would follow." The post Police Association confident in officers handling SoE appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.