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ON FEBRUARY 17, a fire alarm went off at the Police Administration Building, Port of Spain. That officials exited the building that day calmly suggested the incident was routine. We now know, thanks to disclosures made by top cop Allister Guevarro on August 19, that, in fact, the building has been “plagued” with issues “for quite some time.”
Something as rudimentary as building maintenance should not trigger a crisis of confidence in police administration. But, shamefully and embarrassingly, that is precisely what happened this week when the same system on the sixth floor went off, this time soaking records while kindling conspiracies.
It was a crisis of the police’s own making.
On August 18, a lengthy media release announced, “a rupture in the fire suppression system” had caused “significant damage.” Critical records were irrecoverably spoiled by the very system which had been designed to protect them. It was further disclosed the documents had been placed in a “designated secure room,” there were no digital copies and a wide range of material was affected, including firearms licence files.
One day later, Mr Guevarro himself was forced to douse the flames of panic. He said the country’s 55,000 firearms files were, in fact, safe, being stored at a separate site. Only an unspecified number brought to his office were affected.
But the damage has been done. Dreaming up nefarious possibilities is not hard in a country where court exhibits are eaten by rats, where 28,000 rounds of military-grade ammunition vanishes and where trust in the police is low.
Shaken has been confidence yet again in what is going on at Sackville Street. The building appears sturdy. But inside, according to Mr Guevarro, is a litany of problems. There is one elevator. Air conditioners don’t work. A microwave can create chaos.
Reacting to these disclosures were opposition MPs Stuart Young and Marvin Gonzales, who knocked the government for not providing “the necessary financial resources” and the use of paper records. But this is rich coming from two individuals who, as former security ministers, had responsibility for addressing such things only four months ago. The UNC is yet to present a full budget.
What should be questioned is this: to what use was the $27.3 million allocated by the PNM to the police in the last fiscal package for “Repairs and Maintenance – Buildings” put?
The problem here is not funding. Nor is it the building’s age.
Only ineptitude explains a situation in which officials deem a room “secure” for papers but do not foresee sprinklers going off. For this, the cops have only themselves to blame. As ever, it is citizens, whose firearms applications will be further delayed, who must pay the price.
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