An­na-Lisa Paul

Se­nior Re­porter

an­na-lisa.paul!guardian.co.tt

Head of the Mu­nic­i­pal Po­lice Ser­vice, As­sis­tant Com­mis­sion­er of Po­lice (ACP) Sur­ren­dra Sagram­s­ingh, has wel­comed the an­nounce­ment by the Po­lice Com­plaints Au­thor­i­ty (PCA) that it has launched an in­ves­ti­ga­tion in­to the con­duct and ac­tiv­i­ties of of­fi­cers in three mu­nic­i­pal­i­ties.

His com­ment came af­ter the PCA is­sued a re­lease yes­ter­day say­ing it had, “re­ceived a se­ries of anony­mous re­ports con­cern­ing se­ri­ous po­lice mis­con­duct and crim­i­nal ac­tiv­i­ty in­volv­ing po­lice of­fi­cers as­signed to the Port-of-Spain, Siparia and Point Fortin Mu­nic­i­pal Po­lice Sta­tions.”

PCA deputy di­rec­tor Michelle Solomon-Baksh con­firmed an in­ves­ti­ga­tion had com­menced.

She as­sured, “In­for­ma­tion re­ceived by the PCA is pro­tect­ed by the PCA Act, and shall re­main con­fi­den­tial.”

Com­ment­ing on the re­lease, Sagram­s­ingh said, “It was un­for­tu­nate that this has hap­pened and the mis­con­duct with mu­nic­i­pal po­lice of­fi­cers had reached the thresh­old where the PCA had to in­ves­ti­gate.”

He as­sured the Mu­nic­i­pal Po­lice Ser­vice would co­op­er­ate ful­ly with the PCA and would, “not be sweep­ing this un­der the car­pet.”

Sagram­s­ingh said those who had al­le­ga­tions lev­elled against them “have the right to be heard.”

He said he ex­pect­ed due process would be fol­lowed as the in­ves­ti­ga­tion un­folds. He al­so ex­pressed con­fi­dence that the PCA, un­der the stew­ard­ship of David West and Solomon-Baksh, would be fair.