COMMISSIONER of Police Allister Guevarro said the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) continued to face challenges associated with officer burnout and staffing shortages, while stressing the need for greater attention to mental health within law enforcement and society as a whole.Speaking during a news conference at the Police Administration Building in Port of Spain on Thursday, Guevarro linked the issue to his ongoing call for an increase in the authorised strength of the Police Service.
ASSOCIATION president: Ishmael Pitt
The Commissioner noted that, over the last six years, since the Covid-19 pandemic, police officers have been going “non-stop” and had been called to go above and beyond the call of duty as they were routinely required to provide security coverage for major national events and public activities throughout the year, placing sustained demands on personnel.
SUSPECTED SUICIDE: Cpl Yohanis Joseph
“And therein lies the reason I ask that the sanctioned strength of the police service be increased,” he said.Guevarro noted that even in a period of sustained states of emergency, officers were expected to maintain a presence during Christmas, Carnival, Independence celebrations and numerous other events, creating pressure on existing manpower levels. He said the issue required both immediate and long-term solutions rather than continued delays.Addressing concerns about officers being denied leave because of operational demands and the ongoing state of emergency, Guevarro said the TTPS had not imposed a blanket restriction on vacation leave. Instead, he said leave requests were being managed on a case-by-case basis to ensure officers had opportunities for rest and recovery while maintaining operational readiness.“One of the decisions I made, I spoke to the DCP (Deputy Commissioner of Police) Administration...We have not been restricting vacation leave to officers, even though the state of emergency exists,” he said.“We are trying to manage the leave of the officers in a manner that will still allow them the opportunity to get that much-needed refresh and reflection.”The Commissioner also highlighted the psychological pressures faced by police officers, referring to the recent shooting death of an officer in Sangre Grande and the death of another officer who had been in prison custody, which was reported on Wednesday. He said both incidents weighed heavily on the leadership of the organisation.“That is something that bears heavily upon the entire leadership of the TTPS,” Guevarro said of the Sangre Grande incident.Regarding the more recent death, he said investigators were still working to establish the circumstances.The Commissioner said the incidents reinforced the importance of addressing mental health challenges within law enforcement agencies.He stressed that mental health concerns were not limited to the police service and affected all sectors of society. “If you detect that anything is off, get assistance. Seek that help, that much-needed assistance,” he said.The Commissioner also expressed concern about the effect that public criticism, particularly on social media, could have on officers’ morale.The head of the T&T Police Service Social and Welfare Association (TTPSSWA) has also renewed calls for greater attention to the mental health and work-life balance of police officers following the suspected suicide of a police officer on Tuesday. On June 16, Cpl Yohanis Joseph of the Sangre Grande station is believed to have died by suicide in an incident that also left a member of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) with a gunshot wound.Speaking with the Express on Wednesday, TTPSSWA president ASP Ishmael Pitt said the association was deeply concerned about the mental health of officers and viewed the incident as highlighting issues it had consistently raised regarding the demands placed on members of the Police Service (TTPS).“We are deeply concerned as to the mental health of our officers. We have been seeing a lot of strange developments recently, and this incident yesterday (Tuesday) emphasises the consistent call we have been making regarding the work-life balance of police officers.”“Policing is a demanding job. Outside of that, police have their own life, own issues, own responsibilities that must be managed.”Pitt urged officers experiencing personal difficulties or situations they found overwhelming, to seek assistance.
