For several hours on Wednesday night, officers of the San Fernando Police Station were forced to work in darkness following a blackout.
Guardian Media was told yesterday that it was not the first time such an outage had occurred. An officer at the station blamed the blackout on an ongoing issue with the electrical wiring in the building and the generator.
The officer, who requested anonymity since he was not authorised to speak to the media, said the electricity supply “was going on and off” since Tuesday but cut off at 5 pm on Wednesday.
The TTPS’ Facility Management was informed, and at 11 pm the electricity was restored.
The officer said, “This happened a couple months ago and still they didn’t fix the issue with the generator. Apart from that, the wiring old and sometimes it smells as though something burning.”
When the blackout occurred, the officer said, there were no candles in the station, so police officers relied on light from their cellphones to conduct their duties.
However, TTPS Social and Welfare Association (TTPSSWA) president ASP Gideon Dickson yesterday said the issue was not brought to his attention. He said he would inquire and respond accordingly.
Meanwhile, the TTPS’s Corporate Communications Department said Guardian Media’s questions on the incident were sent to ACP South Alicia Henry. However, up to late last evening no response was forthcoming.