A statement from the police service seeking to denounce Sunday Newsday's lead story – 18 cops face arrest – has misrepresented the contents of the newspaper article.
The story reported on advice that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) gave investigators to arrest 18 officers linked to an incident in which police killed three people in Second Caledonia, Morvant, two years ago.
The statement, issued at 2.30 pm on Sunday, and shared on police social media channels, with an image entitled "fake news," was headlined: TTPS denies “misleading” media reports involving Morvant triple killing, IATF incidents.
The statement said the police service "denies that warrants were issued for the arrests of 18 police officers allegedly involved in the June 2020 Morvant triple killing and that six Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) police officers were suspended."
Nowhere did the Newsday article say warrants had been issued.
Rather, the Newsday report was based on the advice from the Office of the DPP to investigators to arrest the officers as the two-year homicide investigation nears a close and the victims’ families demand for justice.
Sunday Newsday also obtained a signed copy of a letter from the Office of the Commissioner of Police, dated July 9, 2020, and given to seven of the officers who fired their guns, killing three men on June 27, 2020, ordering the officers on "administrative leave," initially for three months, which was thereafter extended.
The letter said: "In the circumstances you are to cease to report for duty, pending the determination of enquiries resulting from allegations made against you."
Another 11 officers – also involved in the shooting – were assigned to desk duty. That decision resulted from the advice of the Police Complaints Authority to then commissioner of police Gary Griffith.
Newsday reached out to police public information officer ASP Sheridon Hill on Sunday to point out the apparent errors in the release. He said the release was based on instructions given to him and that he would get back to the newspaper.
[caption id="attachment_961885" align="alignnone" width="485"] A copy of one of the suspension letters given to the police officers who fired their weapons on June 27, 2020 killing three men in Second Caledonia, Morvant. -[/caption]
Investigators on Sunday confirmed they had previously put an operation in place to detain their colleagues, but that had been thwarted after a major development which threatened to affect the case.
Acting CoP McDonald Jacob appointed a special task force, led by Supt Wayne Abbott, to investigate the police killings, which triggered three days of protests in several parts of Port of Spain, Laventille, Morvant, Sea Lots and Cocorite. They also prompted the Prime Minister to appoint a committee, led by Anthony Watkins, to go into troubled communities to find out the root causes of the adversarial relationship between residents and police, among other things.
The release on Sunday also referred to a report about police use of
