Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith on Wednesday took some jabs at his critics and the media for scrutinising his every action and that of police officers.
“What we have seen over the past few days is everyone is an expert. Everyone is a qualified police officer. Everyone now seems to know the role and functions of what the police should and should not do and also that of the Commissioner of Police,” Griffith said at a press briefing held at Police Administration Building.
Griffith vented his frustration over the media’s reporting on recent issues involving the police such as their visit to Radio Jaagriti and his appearance on stage with Jamaican reggae icon Buju Banton.
While addressing criticisms from members of the public as well as official organisations such as the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT) on the police visit to the radio station, the commissioner said they have reached a point where every action of the Police Service comes under heavy scrutiny.
“We have spoken for years that this is a lawless society and now that the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service - we are doing what is required to adhere to the law - persons are now offended and they object.”
He asserted that their main prerogative is to uphold the law, not the respective policies of various organisations such as MATT.
“I set the tone based on what is in the law. If persons find that the law is too draconian, then it is up to you to liaise with their 41 members of Parliament to change the law,” Griffith said.
Nine police officers went to Radio Jaagriti to obtain footage of statements made by Secretary General of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha Sat Maharaj.
In the clip, Maharaj described Tobagonians as lazy people who were more interested in crab and goat racing than working and targeting white women on beaches to rob and rape them. The police are seeking to determine if the comments are afoul of the sedition laws.
Speaking about his appearance on stage with Buju Banton at his concert over the weekend Griffith made it clear that he was there to lead the police operation.
He said that with 25,000 people present and 300 police officers on duty, he wanted to be there to lead the team.
“I led the operation. I lead by example. That is my style. I lead by example,” he said.
He said that persons criticising him for this, do not understand the role of the commissioner and do not understand true leadership.
“Social media has provided for anyone to be an expert in any field without getting the facts,” he said.
The commissioner blamed himself for some of the criticisms as he said he may have been too accessible to the media and suggested that he may resort to some of the practices by his predecessor to remain silent.
“I get over 50 calls a day from the media and now I am paying the price for being accessible to the media. So maybe I should Stephen Williams myself from now on. So from now on, if the media has nothing to do with me, you don’t hear from me, I have no comment to make. Be careful about what you ask for because you might get just that,” he said.
During his 25-minute press conference, the Commissioner did not speak about the eleven murders which occurred over the Easter weekend despite Police Service being placed on Red Alert.
He also left the press conference without taking any questions from the media.