Following complaints by junior female ranks of the City Constabulary of ill treatment by their superiors, Mayor Patricia Chase-Green has instructed the Welfare Department of the Mayor and City Council to investigate.
At Monday’s statutory council meeting, Chase-Green disclosed that she has received several complaints from female ranks of victimisation, including being placed at desolate areas to work alone at nights.
“The Welfare Department needs to look into these matters. The things the ranks are telling makes you question what is happening in the constabulary,” she said. “I am telling the Welfare Department to investigate these complaints and I am raising it here at council because the ranks are afraid to come forward,” she added.
APNU+AFC councillor Andrea Marks and Team Legacy councillor Malcolm Ferreira also backed the Mayor’s claims, stating that they too have received complaints from the junior ranks of ill treatment.
“The ranks are afraid to speak out Madam Mayor. It seems as if the situation has gotten unbearable and they are coming to councillors now,” Marks said, while noting that the matter should be treated with urgency.
“These concerns seems genuine and we need to deal with them now,” Ferreira added.
According to the Mayor, the ranks have complained of being sent to desolate locations in the middle of the night without the provision of transportation.
“How can you move a rank in the middle of the night and put them alone to work at a place with no light, fence or baton and leave them to look for their own transportation to get to that next location?” she questioned.
“It seems as if the constabulary has no compassion,” Chase-Green said. “I will not tolerate the ill treatment of junior ranks as long as I am sitting here as Mayor. Town Clerk, this matter must be addressed,” she added.
After listening to the concerns of the Mayor and Councillors, Town Clerk Royston King said that he would seek to have to matter resolved and present a report to the council.
