Reverend wants TTPS to recruit Venezuelan women

Senior Reporter

jensen.lavende@guardian.co.tt

As the T&T Police Service celebrates 69 years of women in the service, Rev Eric Thompson wants Venezuelan women added to the resource pool to help law enforcement infiltrate the migrant population.

Speaking at the St Thomas Anglican Church, Chaguanas yesterday, during an interfaith service for women in the TTPS, Thompson said in keeping with the theme Striking a Balance, recruiting migrant women into TTPS was one way to do it.

“Striking a balance may mean the recruitment from Venezuela into the police service. Before we know it, we will have a migrant population from Venezuela that will be hard to infiltrate,” Thompson said.

He added: “Maybe it is time to review our laws, to review the Police Service Act to include in our recruiting strategies, women of Spanish speaking to bridge the cultural gap and to give you a fighting chance in this dark world that will become darker in the years to come.”

He said the TTPS should recruit and retain members from diverse backgrounds to better understand and serve the population’s needs, especially since the migrant population is growing.

Thompson said the country has been fortunate to have a police service of good quality, which is able to meet the needs of the country. However, he said with crime levels increasing it has been challenging, as the police do not have the mandate or manpower to police everyone on a one-to-one basis.

“Traditionally, the police is blamed for everything that goes wrong in society and you have graciously kept your silence, because you are a disciplined group led by a Godly commissioner.”

He said the glass ceiling of the police service has been shattered with a new era emerging. With that, he reminded those gathered of the theme, which he said meant finding a balance between two or more conflicting things and urged them to put God at the centre of it all.

He referred to the book of Ecclesiastes, particularly chapter eight versus one through eight that speaks of having time and seasons for things. He said policing must be viewed from both the professional and personal perspectives to maintain a balance.

During her speech, Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher told the officers that they have her support in finding a healthy work/life balance.

Harewood-Christopher said balancing aspects of one’s life will not be easy, but it is essential. She said it requires dedication, strategic thinking, and, most importantly, support from the entire organisation.

“As Commissioner of Police, I want to assure the women that you have the support of your organisation, the support of the executive, to be what they want to be and excel in any endeavour in the police service.”

She said at times of fatigue the officers should persevere, as the practice of balance is what allows police as individuals and the police service to grow, thrive and excel. Like with music, she said, if a wrong note is struck in balancing work and other aspects of one’s life, the goal is not to stop playing but to press on and strive to press on every day.

“As a female commissioner, I am a fruit of the trailblazers. The courageous women who came before me. Women who shattered glass ceilings, who fought for equality and who proved daily, that over and over, that competence and leadership knows no gender.”

She said the women not only upheld the standards of the service but advanced them, adding that they exemplified a healthy balance.

The post Reverend wants TTPS to recruit Venezuelan women first appeared on CNC3.