Although 30 police recruits were rejected after they admitted to varying criminal offences, the Police Service Social and Welfare Association is fearful there are soon-to-be police officers who slipped through the cracks and are guilty of previous criminal offences. In a telephone interview yesterday, secretary of the association Inspector Michael Seales said while the decision to reject the rouge recruits by acting Commissioner Stephen Williams was laudable, it might have been too late.
In an article on Tuesday in a daily newspaper, it was reported that 30 recruits had to be rejected after they admitted to varying criminal offences, including sex with a minor and drug possession. Seales said the association was concerned by the quantum of people rejected, adding the powers that be at the Police Training Academy dropped the ball.
Seales said the fact that the 30 prospected police officers were given the green light to receive training was an indictment on the part of academy’s hierarchy and a rigid test of sifting out the rogue recruits was diminished to make way for the increased police enrolment. Contacted yesterday, Williams said he was unable to respond to the claim his drive to increase the police manpower by 1,500 by March next year was to be blamed for the unsuitable candidates.
One aspect of the depleted security measure, Seales said, was the non-publication of the faces of would-be police officers so those familiar with the candidates could make objections. Seales also called for an audit of the existing system of recruitment to ensure quality assurance was adhered.
Asked whether the association was concerned the recruits were being victimised, Seales said the perception of police officers was diminishing and the hiring of someone who had committed a criminal offence could add to that deteriorating perception. Seales said while the recruits were never tried or convicted of any wrongdoing, having them become police officers would be a case of “satan correcting sin”.
He said someone who might have been convicted and was granted a presidential pardon was free to apply, adding the rejected recruits might well be looked at as a “person of interest” in the future.
