A Special Reserve Police constable has been arrested in London after he was found in the possession of cocaine.
According to information received by the T&T Guardian, the officer, who is assigned to the charge room at the Chaguanas Police Station, left for London on Sunday night.
Upon his arrival at Gatwick Airport, the officer was arrested after a search was conducted of his luggage and about one kilogramme of pure cocaine was allegedly found in the lining of the suitcase. The officer has close to ten years in the service.
Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, a senior police officer, who wished not to be identified, said this latest incident involving a police officer has caused “yet another blow to the T&T Police Service.” The senior officer also expressed much disappointment.
Asked if the officer was on official leave, the senior officer said he believes the officer was on vacation leave, but admitted he was not sure if he had asked permission to leave the country.
“Police officers wanting to travel abroad must ask permission and must await the granting of the permission before they can proceed, but we will have to check to see if this officer had asked for permission or not,” the senior officer said.
The SRP was presented with a special award in 2014 for his “loyal, dedicated and committed service in reducing crime in Central Division”.
Investigators in London are now said to be working closely with local Interpol officers to probe his involvement in the trafficking of cocaine into the United Kingdom.