Police Commissioner Gary Griffith has come out in defence of his officers, after restaurateur Jenny Sharma complained that officers entered her restaurant Jenny’s on the Boulevard on Friday night, intimidating staff and patrons as they warned that operations needed to be shut down by 1015p.m.
She described the police action as “harassment”, stating that on a previous occasion officers entered the restaurant with guns and asked patrons what they were drinking.
However, Griffith, in an interview with the Express, claims some restaurants are flouting the Covid health regulations by serving alcohol in tea cups and allowing patrons beyond the 10 p.m. closing time.
He said his officers did what was needed to ensure that the law is being adhered to.
He slammed Sharma, as well as Independent Senator Paul Richards, who commented on the incident via social media, saying: “Using resources to harass business people when criminals raping and killing people out here steups.”
Griffith told the media house: “It is amazing, I’m even seeing Senator Paul Richards, everybody tries to be Constable Brown, always trying to dictate where the police should utilise their resources. If that is the case why does the Prime Minister bother to have regulations. Because in the little world of Paul Richards and others the police should not ensure that regulations are enforced because of the Covid pandemic. They are basically alluding that the police should not be wasting their time to ensure that the public health regulations are adhered to and we should be going after the criminals.”
“The law does not mean you are to stop serving at ten, the restaurant should be closed at ten. Jenny needs to read the law before making unfounded statements,” he said.
According to Griffith “If there was a concern about the attitude of the Police Service, instead of “running to social media”, Sharma or any aggrieved person could make an official report that would be sent to the TTPS.
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