The Police Service Commission (PSC) should examine the role of police officers undertaking multimedia presentations since this has serious consequences regarding discipline in the conduct of police duties, Opposition MP Roodal Moonilal says.
Moonilal did so in yesterday’s Parliament session, saying the PSC should examine the issue of police officers hosting television shows sponsored by the police. It appeared to be a reference to Tuesday’s clash between Beyond the Tape host Inspector Roger Alexander and Crime Watch host Ian Alleyne. The former ended up arresting the latter.
Moonilal also charged that a government minister had gone to an institution and attempted to influence the audit of a certain matter and “...the Attorney General is aware of it and does nothing....” he added. He said there is a “disquiet” in T&T on the “creeping way” Government was trying to control matters, even taking away the authority of the Parliament to see about its Red House building.
Moonilal was speaking in debate on the nomination of attorney Dinanath Ramkissoon (vice president - National Infrastructure Development Co) to the PSC. Ramkissoon, who began his career as a police detective, holds degrees in the field of law and associated fields, has fingerprint expertise, and was a state prosecutor, legal officer, and criminal law lecturer. Moonilal said Ramkissoon was highly qualified, but the Opposition had concerns that when such a person made the sacrifice to offer themselves for public office, the very executive that nominated them might undermine their role.
Calling for the government’s commitment to strengthening the PSC and providing it with resources, he also sought an explanation of the People’s National Movement’s (PNM) proposed Police Management Authority (PMA) and whether this might weaken the PSC, duplicate it, or supersede its authority. Moonilal said the planned PMA suggested lack of government confidence in the PSC. Finance Minister Colm Imbert, piloting Ramkissoon’s nomination, said he wouldn’t attach any credibility to Moonilal’s “sudden interest in police shows” since the Beyond the Tape programme had been aired under the former People’s Partnership administration. “You went on the programme,” he told Moonilal.