Acting Police Commissioner Erla Christopher and members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) met with representatives of the Trinidad and Tobago Promoters Association (TTPA) on Monday to discuss the issue of police strength (manpower) at the holidays .
It was an issue raised by TTPA President Jerome “Rome” Precilla last week during a press conference at City Hall. The Association’s public relations officer, Paige De Leon, also participated in the news conference
During Monday’s meeting, the TTPS team explained the legal definition of extortion to members of the Association, according to a post on the police’s social media page.
The TTPS then gave Precilla the opportunity to present evidence relating to the allegations previously made. However, with the explanation given, there was no evidence to support the claim that extortion exists as it relates to the management of additional liabilities by TTPS, the post said.
At a recent meeting where the groups met, Precilla presented guidelines to help police handle calculating the manpower needed for an event.
Snr Superintendent Kerwin Francis, who was part of the committee mandated by the COP to review the overtime policy, thanked Precilla for the suggestions made in a proposal document he provided earlier. The officer then gave a presentation on the current Incident Policies and Procedures Manual and explained the process to Precilla and De Leon, who provided a very thorough understanding of how the additional duty is managed.
Another presentation was made by a representative of the Crime and Problem Analysis Branch (CAPA), on the risk factors involved in achieving the given strength (manpower) to deploy to an event.
The post said Precilla was satisfied with the presentations and had further questions. He also asked to be given the opportunity to review and present the recommendations to other members of the Association.
Christopher also considered Precilla’s suggestions and both parties agreed to a follow-up meeting. Christopher noted that TTPS is aware of the synergy needed between the two parties and appreciates the valuable contribution that culture makes to enriching people’s lives and the economy and added that this must be balanced by the requirement to ensure that clients who receive participate in these cultural events are safe.
Also present at the meeting were DCP Curt Simon, other members of the Executive and a representative from the TTPS Legal Unit.
