New Child Protection Unit head: Don’t lose faith in police

NEWLY appointed AG Supt Michelle Rowley-Powder, head of the police’s Child Protection Unit (CPU) and Gender-Based Violence Unit (GBVU), said she is focused on restoring public confidence in the police service.

She was addressing concerns about the effectiveness and efficiency of her unit.

“We do not want the public to lose faith in the police service.”

Speaking with Newsday on August 27 by phone, Rowley-Powder said her team is working diligently to resolve cases promptly, but acknowledges there is a backlog in the system, attributing it to staffing constraints.

Without going into much detail, she said recent meetings with department heads have led to new initiatives aimed at improving operations within her department.

She did not provide specific details, but said they had already been implemented and the public would see improvements in case-response times in the coming weeks.

She explained that GBVU handles cases of gender-based violence, including intimate-partner violence, crimes against children and sexual offences, and a single officer in the unit manages between 150 and 200 enquiries.

Rowley-Powder says the unit’s initial staffing was not enough to handle the volume of reports, which led to longer processing times.

“My team and I are developing new structures to address other issues that may affect how cases are dealt with,” she said.

She apologised for delays and stressed that officers are not deliberately dragging their feet.

The officers are mandated to respond to all reports and believe the new system will greatly improve the handling of new and ongoing reports.

“We see people commenting daily on social media that their reports are not being taken seriously, and we want to let them know we take every single report seriously and with urgency.”

Rowley-Powder said while her new position has its challenges, there are none that she cannot handle, and expressed confidence that, with teamwork and dedication, these challenges can be managed effectively.

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