Head of the Police Welfare Association Gideon Dickson is today advising members of the police service to be vigilant when they are conducting their duties and also when they are off duty this, as he commented on the murder of a member of the service.
Special Reserve Police officer Charles Kublalsingh, who was on extended leave, was shot once in the chest with a 12-gauge shotgun less than three minutes after leaving his home on Saturday night.
After his attacker shot him, he stole Kublalsingh’s gun and car.
The 56-year-old, police said yesterday, had requested leave from duty after he became a witness in a murder case where one of his then superiors was charged. That matter is still ongoing.
Kublalsingh, who lived at Jackson Street, Curepe, was granted a firearm user’s licence due to threats he reported to his colleagues after he became a witness in the case.
Dickson told the Power Breakfast Show this morning that several teams have been on the ground conducting investigations since the incident occurred.
He said Curepe, the area where Kublalsingh was murdered has been an under intense scrutiny where crime and criminality is concerned.
He said that there are a Victim Support Unit and a Social Work Unit within the Police Service as well as a Welfare Committee.
However he revealed that they are in desperate need for at least six more social workers and eighteen more Victim Support Officers to provide emotional and psychological support to the officers and by extention members of the community who are victims of crime.
Referring to the alleged murder/suicide involving two police officers last week, Dickson said matters of the heart are serious especially if not addressed effectively.
He called on officers to ignore the taboo and seek the necessary mental help if needed.