Senior Reporter
sascha.wilson@guardian.co.tt
Four years after a safety officer won a lawsuit in a kidnapping, assault and robbery incident involving two police officers and a civilian, he claims the police are dragging their feet on the criminal investigation.
Clint Attong says the Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) of the T&T Police Service (TTPS) started an investigation into the incident last year, but since then the investigator has been changed several times.
Attong complained that his attempts to find out the status of the probe and a possible completion date have been unsuccessful. He added that the recent promotion of one of the officers involved in the matter has caused him distress.
“I trip off when I get that message that he got promoted to corporal...Is it so difficult to get justice in Trinidad and Tobago? Is kidnapping still a crime in Trinidad and Tobago? This justice system, Jesus Christ, what is really going on? I don’t even sleep since I get kidnap and you know I just refuse to give up,” he said.
Attong said he has visited and written to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the National Security Ministry, the Prime Minister, the President, three Commissioners of Police, the Ombudsman and several other bodies seeking justice, as he is still traumatised by the incident.
“I get flashbacks and I am a bit emotional when I have to relive this experience because I have been reliving this experience since Saturday, October 29, 2011. I have tried on insurmountable occasions over the years from 2011 to 2023 to get legal justice,” he said.
Following the incident, Attong initiated civil action and in 2019, Justice Frank Seepersad ruled in his favour and ordered that he be awarded damages for assault and battery and false imprisonment. The judge also ordered one of the officers to pay Attong $5,000 (money he allegedly stole from Attong) within 48 hours and directed the Registrar to send the transcript of the proceedings and judgment to the DPP and Commissioner of Police to determine whether criminal charges should be laid.
The evidence of the case was that Attong was forcibly taken from Rio Claro at gunpoint, punched in the face and had a gun placed on his thigh. In a room at the Mayaro Police Station, he claimed he was beaten with a hose, struck on his face with leather slippers and ordered to squat naked in the presence of prisoners.
When contacted for comment, PSB Senior Supt Suzette Martin confirmed that an active investigation into the allegations was ongoing. Noting the length of time since the incident occurred, she said officers have been working on gathering the documents and evidence.
“It’s not like it just happened yesterday, but we are working on it,” she said.
Martin added that the PSB has been updating Attong on the investigation.
Contacted via WhatsApp, Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher said she was not aware of the incident or the court matter but promised to look into it.
Lawyer weighs in
Meanwhile, experienced criminal and civil attorney Kevin Ratiram explained that when a judge refers a matter to the DPP or the CoP at the end of a trial, it is not a direction to charge anyone.
“It is only for them to give consideration to whether someone should be charged. At the end of the day, the decision to charge or not charge a police officer normally resides with the DPP,” he said.
Ratiram said an officer could be under investigation and not be suspended but there are instances where an officer under investigation for a serious offence could be suspended with pay pending the outcome of the investigation.
“Where an officer is charged for an offence, he is normally suspended, usually on half-pay or three-quarter pay.”
Ratiram also explained that even if an officer is on suspension or is charged and the matter is pending, that officer can be promoted.
“I assume the rationale for this is that a man is presumed to be innocent unless proven guilty,” he said.