A new era of service excellence is coming to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS).
This from Commissioner of Police, Erla Harewood-Christopher, speaking at the launch of the TTPS Customer Service Unit, on Friday 28th June, 2024, at the St. Joseph Police Station.
The Customer Service Unit is an initiative designed to elevate the quality of service provided to the public by each and every officer of the TTPS. It aims to reduce the number of complaints levelled at officers and provide a level of satisfaction to members of the public following any engagement with the police.
CoP Harewood-Christopher, in addressing the attendees said, to achieve these goals, the Unit will coordinate training, manage complaints and make recommendations to the Office of the Commissioner of Police on matters of reform and discipline.
She said the concept of good customer service is rooted in the accepted principle that the people we serve, like us, deserve good service, wherever we go and it is based on this consideration that the organisation changed its name from Police Force to Police Service many years ago.
Delivering the feature address was Minister of National Security, the Honourable, Fitzgerald Hinds who said citizens should be able to get the same levels of courtesy, professionalism and principle of customer-centric policing from each and every police officer they meet anywhere and at any time.
And, also delivering remarks at the launch was Chairman of the Police Service Commission, retired Justice Judith Jones, who noted that every encounter between a police officer and a citizen should be seen as an opportunity to collect intelligence, forge relationships and foster trust. She said that every positive interaction, enhances the public’s perception of and trust in the TTPS.
The launch also commemorated the roll out of the Customer Service Unit Feedback Bin/Boxes.
The receptacles, which are to be placed in every Police Station across the ten Policing Divisions, are meant to provide a channel for members of the public to submit feedback, comments or complaints regarding their interactions and experiences with the TTPS.
This allows the Unit to gather real-time, on-the-ground feedback from citizens, that can then be analyzed and acted upon.
Also in attendance at the event were Deputy Commissioner of Police ‘Operations’, Junior Benjamin, Deputy Commissioner of Police ‘Administration’, Natasha George, Deputy Commissioner of Police ‘Intelligence and Investigations’, Suzette Martin and President of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service Social and Welfare Association.