Low public trust and confidence in the TTPS

Political Leader of the National Transformation Alliance and former Commissioner of Police, Gary Griffith, claims that public trust and confidence in the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, as well as in the Commissioner of Police, are at an all-time low, with levels at 8 percent or less. He shared these statements on his Facebook page. Griffith also highlighted that police officers’ trust and confidence in the Commissioner of Police is at 14%. He asserted that the Police Service Commission and the government must take accountability for the decline in public trust and confidence in the TTPS, which he attributes to their decision to extend Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher’s contract. Griffith pointed out that public trust has plummeted from 59% to 8% since Commissioner Harewood-Christopher’s appointment. Addressing the officers’ lack of confidence in the commissioner, he remarked that it reflects a deficiency in leadership needed to inspire trust and motivate effective policing. Griffith questioned the rationale behind her contract extension and emphasized the need to reassess the decision-making process for appointing future police commissioners.