It has been confirmed that 19 civilian contract workers with the police service (TTPS) have had their contracts terminated. The workers were hired by former police commissioner Gary Griffith, who is describing the move as blatant political interference in the service.
DCP Mc Donald Jacob is reported to have said it is a cost-cutting exercise. He said in some cases the contractors would have been made redundant, while in others the work would have already been completed.
Among the contract workers who confirmed to Newsday that they were laid off, were former corporate communications manager Francis Joseph, events coordinator Lisa Ghany, and firearms expert Paul Daniel Nahous.
In a WhatsApp message on Monday in response to questions from Newsday, Joseph said,“Today I was called to a meeting chaired by DCP Mc Donald Jacob and informed that he was terminating my contract with immediate effect.
[caption id="attachment_920918" align="alignnone" width="1024"] GONE: Fireams expert Paul Nahous.[/caption]
“Other persons who were hired by former CoP Gary Griffith over the last three years also had their contracts terminated today. I would like to thank Mr Griffith for giving me the opportunity to bring the corporate communications unit to a better place and to leave the dedicated staff better trained going forward.”
Ghany confirmed to Newsday that she was also let go. She said she was not ready to comment at this time.
Nahous, in a WhatsApp response to Newsday, said he did not currently work for the police.
“My reputation and credentials speak for themselves. I remain a professional in my field and will continue to pursue work in that light.
“The work that I previously provided for TTPS was far below the range paid to someone in that role internationally, and locally a fraction of the cost of outsourcing (which is why the former commissioner opted to hire for the position rather than externally contract it).”
In a post on his Facebook page on Monday, Griffith said it had come to his attention that “every single contract of persons that I hired is being terminated with immediate effect. It is inconceivable to think that the TTPS hierarchy would do this without a directive, especially given the fact that these individuals were at the heart of the remarkable numbers and public sentiment turnaround that the TTPS has enjoyed in the past couple of years, under my watch.”
He said every right-thinking citizen should be very concerned that the hierarchy of the service appears to have been pressured to take directives to execute a well-orchestrated plan.
[caption id="attachment_920917" align="alignnone" width="1024"] GONE: Former police service events manager Lisa Ghany.[/caption]
“This is especially egregious in light of the fact that the identified contractors performed beyond expectation, and they did so for less money than the contractors during the tenure of the previous head of the TTPS.”
He said this devaluing of human resource capital was the epitome of the term “dismantling of the national securit
