(Trinidad Guardian) The T&T Police Service (TTPS) is owing more than $40 million to several garages and auto repair shops across the country for work done on police vehicles. The outstanding debt has forced more than 20 garages and repair shops to close their doors over the last six weeks while others have been sending home workers
The action taken by these garages has left hundreds of police vehicles inoperable as they lie idle at police stations and repair yards nationwide.
Businessman Inshan Ishmael, who owns one of the garages affected by the non-payment of money for repairs to TTP’s vehicles, said apart from the $40 million “the TTPS is already owing over $100 million for goods and services” provided. He said this figure included parts for the newer model of vehicles owned by the police service.
The Vehicle Management Corporation of T&T (VMCOTT), established in 2000 to repair and service state-owned private and commercial vehicles, is still owed $14 million for repairs done to police vehicles over the last eight years.
TTPS altogether owes $154 million for vehicle repairs, parts, and services.
Meanwhile, the criminal elements are already capitalising on this shortfall of police resources while business owners and homeowners are left in the lurch waiting for police to arrive hours after a crime and when they do, it is sometimes on foot.
The CEO of VMCOTT Natasha Prince recalled that in May 2019 they had been owed $18 million. However, a reconciliation of the TTPS account showed a payment of $4 million had been made in 2012. Since then, no further payments have been made to VMCOTT. Prince said although they have not been given any business by the TTPS over the last year, they are still being owed $14 million.
When Prince made those claims in May 2019, Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith shot back insisting that VMCOTT would not be paid until the invoices are provided for the work done. Prince said last week that VMCOTT supplied the TTPS with invoices in February of this year, but was not given any assurance of when they would be paid.
Although there are claims in the public that at least 50 to 60 per cent of the police vehicle are down, there is no definitive figure to reflect how many vehicles are not functioning at this time. However, last year Griffith revealed that a staggering 500 vehicles had been taken out of service between 2016-2018. He stated that at least one-fifth of the police vehicles were down for repairs. Griffith attributed this to an inefficient maintenance system and admitted the absence of those vehicles had adversely impacted the TTPS’s crime-fighting abilities.
Griffith described the preventative maintenance system as flawed and said up until the middle of 2018, a police vehicle was being written off and taken out of service at least every three to four days. He said in many cases back then, those responsible for managing the fleet would wait until the vehicle was critically damaged or worn out before sending it for repairs. In the face of these shortcomings, an audit of the TTPS’s fleet was ordered last year to assess the status of each vehicle.
‘Suppliers spent millions to stock items’
Ishmael, who confirmed to the Sunday Guardian that his business was one of those affected by the TTPS’s inability to pay for the repair of their vehicles, said the affected businesses included those specialising in battery supplies, air-conditioning repairs, tyre replacement, alignment services, mechanical maintenance, body repair and painting.
“My company serviced between 50 to 60 vehicles per week, but about one month ago a decision was taken by garages to hold off on providing services to the TTPS alone,” said Ishmael.
He said some suppliers had already spent millions to stock items while he installed two new lifts in anticipation of continued business from the TTPS.
Ishmael denied that suppliers had been seeking profit off the TTPS. “What we charge the TTPS is what we charge other people. Five to ten per cent of the work we do for the police is free because this is how we give back.
Although the TTPS has outstanding debts stretching more than three years, Ishmael said they “continued doing the work and the TTPS understood this at the end of the day.” Ishmael claimed that with the TTPS severing ties with VMCOTT almost a year ago, they did not have anywhere else to get their vehicles repaired. But the situation has now become untenable for the private garages.
