The new People's Partnership Government, led by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, has terminated the services of Director of the Special Anti-crime Unit of T&T (SAUTT) Brigadier Peter Joseph.
It comes weeks after the premature termination of the appointment of then acting Commissioner of Police James Philbert. Philbert's acting appointment was due to end at the end of this month. Joseph's dismissal was revealed in a release e-mailed from the Office of the Prime Minister at 5.15 yesterday afternoon. It came less than five hours after Joseph denied spying on the Prime Minister. Persad-Bissessar had told legislators in Parliament last Friday morning her Government had taken a policy decision to downsize and restructure the Special Anti Crime Unit of T&T (SAUTT).
She confirmed Joseph's dismissal at Piarco International Airport, shortly before leaving on a ten-day trip to New York yesterday, where she is expected to address the UN General Assembly. She read the statement to reporters: It stated: "A decision has been taken to terminate the appointment of Brigadier Peter Joseph as director of SAUTT with effect as of September 21, 2010. "This decision is necessary to facilitate the much-needed restructuring and reorganisation of SAUTT to ensure a more co-ordinated approach to the gathering of criminal intelligence and the proper training of members of the Protective Services," The PM said vice director of SAUTT, Colonel Albert Griffith, would "assume operational command during the period of transition."
She added that a steering committee, comprising acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams, SAUTT's security consultant Prof Daniel Gibran and acting chief of strategic studies at the National Security Ministry, Julie Browne, will oversee the restructuring process.
She listed the mandate of the steering committee:
* Address the issue of proper financial responsibility and accountability for the over $1 billion spent by SAUTT to date;
* address the need to reintegrate the civilian, T&T Defence Force and the police personnel into other existing national security agencies; and,
* address the streamlining and harmonisation of other intelligence operations into SAUTT.
Persad-Bissessar was quoted in a Sunday newspaper as saying she had heard rumours of her phone being tapped by SAUTT but was unable to confirm. Joseph's denial yesterday was made in response to that report. Joseph said he wrote the Prime Minister "to personally reassure her" that "SAUTT had never 'spied' on her." The newspaper report claimed SAUTT was spying on Persad-Bissessar days before she was sworn into office as Prime Minister. It added: "SAUTT sources revealed that SAUTT's command centre, which is located on the 15th floor of the Riverside Plaza, has a database which is connected directly to the cellphone or phones belonging to Persad-Bissessar."
Joseph, however, adamantly said in a release issued by SAUTT yesterday (before Persad-Bissessar's statement): "We do not and have never used our resources to 'spy' on any Member of Parliament or any other law-abiding citizen." In addition to giving Persad-Bissessar his "word" that the allegations of "wiretapping" her telephone were "completely untrue." Joseph said in an effort to stop the "unfounded, malicious rumours," he offered to open SAUTT to an independent audit. The release from SAUTT stated: "SAUTT is an intelligence-led organisation which is committed to the fight against serious crime. "We gather intelligence to support our work but our resources are solely used to target criminals."
The news report added SAUTT officers had defended the move to spy on the Prime Minister, claiming it was a security measure. "Officers added that a decision was taken to protect the Prime Minister in the event of death threats or other threats to her life and they pointed out that tapping into her phones made it easier for them to deal directly with any person with ill-intent or who is guilty of putting the Prime Minister's life at risk." the release added. Persad-Bissessar promised days ago her Government was about to sort of SAUTT. Joseph was unavailable for comment when the T&T Guardian attempted to contact him last evening.
More info
Joseph was appointed the first director of SAUTT in November 2003. He was born in December 1951 and joined the T&T Defence Force on July 1, 1975. He was trained as an officer cadet at the Royal Military, Sandhurst, England, and was awarded th silver stick for best overseas candidate. He is also a graduate of the Infantry Officers Advanced Programme in Georgia, the joint and combined and staff course at the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia, and the defence planning and resource management course at the Centre for Hemispheric Studies, National Defence University, Washington DC.
Joseph was put in command of the First Infantry Batallion and in 2000 assumed command of the T&T Regiment. Joseph and his wife, Gail, have five children. He was awarded the Army's General Service Medal, the Efficiency Decoration and the Efficiency Medal. He is the holder of a Master's Degree in Business Administration. He was inducted into the National Defence University, Joint Forces Hall of Fame, in August 2008. He became the first person from the Caribbean to have achieved that honour.