President of the Prisons Officers Association, Ceron Richards, said yesterday his suspension smells of victimisation and claimed it was part of a move to silence him.
Richards made the claims moments after collecting his suspension letter from the Prison Administration Building, Phillip Street, Port-of-Spain.
His suspension came five months after someone broke into his apartment and stole his gun from a vault. He said he and members of the association always knew “there are forces out there trying to hush us up.”
Richards said several other public officials also lost their personal guns but have never been prematurely punished. His suspension letter was dated August 30, pending the determination of an investigation.
“I have not heard of anyone being suspended under similar circumstances. I find it very strange to me that I have been suspended for such allegations given the fact that over the years a number of public officials would have lost their firearms under different circumstances. In my instance a crime was committed against me. My home was broken into and I reported it and did all that I needed to do and now I am suspended.”
Richards said his association believed there was more to his suspension than what he was told.
According to him, the suspension is effective pending the investigation into two allegations surrounding the theft of his gun.
He added that there was no indication as to how long the investigation would take or the terms of his suspension regarding his renumeration.
“I consider the suspension not only an attack on me but on the association. We were looking at this and anticipating this outcome. We know of similar circumstances but not similar outcome in the past,” Richards said.
On March 11 thieves broke into Richards’ Don Miguel Road home and stole his licensed 9mm pistol, two magazines and several rounds of ammunition, which were secured in a safe. The break-in was discovered around 4 pm that day.
Richards drew reference to the suspension of the current leader of the Police Second Division Association Insp Michael Seales to support his suspicion.
Seales, then general secretary of the police body, was suspended on June 25 last year for allegations of serious misconduct, one day after he appeared on a television programme and claimed that the then People’s Partnership government was trying to provoke the police so that a state of emergency could be called, postponing the then upcoming general election.
An investigation resulted in him being charged with making a seditious statement on June 22, two days before the statute of limitations on the investigations was to expire.
Seales was then contesting the leadership of the association which he won three days after he was charged.