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Colleagues of the two police officers who were involved in a shootout on Wednesday night at Grand Bazaar, Valsayn, yesterday shared mixed emotions over the incident. However, their main emotion was that of regret for not doing more to help one of the officers, who confessed to his seniors what he was going through emotionally and mentally since the start of this year.
The T&T Guardian was told by one of their close colleagues that the officers exchanged words since January and this eventually escalated into threats, as one of the officers allegedly told colleagues that he wanted to “kill.”
Late last year, a domestic situation involving one of the officers was said to have worsened to a point where there were several acts of violence.
Senior officers at the Central Division were made aware of this and one of the officers was called to a meeting. During that meeting, the officer was warned of a concern over his behaviour and told he should lodge his firearm at the Central Division Station. But the T&T Guardian understands that after one month the officer retrieved his firearm, although his superiors again warned him about his behaviour.
In the wake of the shooting incident on Wednesday, however, a close colleague of one of the officers, who spoke under strict anonymity, said they were also now ashamed at the situation.
“He said certain things but no one didn’t think to take him seriously. We thought that we as Trinis would get vex and say certain things, but it doesn’t mean we would do that and we thought that this was the case here. We should have done more to help him,” the officer said.
“Both of the officers were good friends and would always cover for each other until things got sour and turned very bitter. One of the officers confided in a senior officer and one time cried over what he was dealing with, but we did not really expect this. I am surprised knowing how far this has reached and to know that both their careers may have been lost in the process.”
T&T Police Service (TTPS) Social and Welfare Association president Michael Seales meanwhile said the “system failed the officers.”
He added that three executive members had just sent a final draft of an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to the acting Commissioner of Police’s office for perusal but were yet to get feedback on it.
Head of the TTPS’ Corporate Communications Ellen Lewis said they have measures in place to assist officers in need of psychological help.
“There is a functioning EAP that provides support to employees in need. Through the programme internally, we have psychologists, social workers and other trained and experienced professionals. We also utilise the services of consultant psychiatrists, psychologists and counsellors.”
She also added that investigations were ongoing.
At the Ruby Tuesday restaurant yesterday, business was opened as usual. However, staffers were instructed not to speak to the media about Wednesday’s incident.
Businessman Derek Chin, who owns the franchise, blamed poor leadership for what is happening in society.
“It’s a nationwide problem with no morality and all sorts of delinquency, and lack of standards and behaviours are now part of the low life in the T&T landscape,” Chin said.
The T&T Guardian understands one of the officers underwent emergency surgery yesterday and was still listed in a critical condition at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mount Hope.