(Trinidad Guardian) Police Commissioner Gary Griffith is calling for special training for all Special Branch Police officers, after he saved one member of his own security detail from drowning at Store Bay, Tobago, yesterday.
In an interview with Guardian Media, Griffith said he and the officer were about to board a vessel from a dinghy about 100 metres from the shoreline when the officer slipped and fell into the ocean.
“He got into difficulty…he was going down, I was the only person on the vessel at the time so I was forced to dive in and keep him afloat, it went on for a couple of minutes and then I was able to get assistance and get him back onto the vessel,” Griffith said.
He said lifeguards stationed at Store Bay rushed to render assistance but by the time they arrived, the officer was already safely back onto the dingy.
Griffith said neither he nor the officer required medical treatment after the incident, but he said he swallowed a significant amount of seawater during the rescue.
“I think I ingested more water than him because he kept trying to push me down while I was trying to keep him afloat, which is what usually happens when people are getting into difficulty in water, they start to panic and the person who is trying to rescue them, they will try to rescue them. I think I am pretty full drinking a lot of saltwater,” Griffith said.
Griffith seemed in good spirits despite the incident but said it had cast a light on a need for proper training for Special Branch officers.
“It has brought to my attention that I must ensure that Special Branch officers, anyone who will secure the Prime Minister, the President, Chief Justice—or anyone—must have a basic degree of training across the board, which includes CPR and being able to swim and how to protect the person they are securing. Today, it was the other way around.”
Griffith said he was on the island to do a check on the activity levels at beaches and ensure that public health regulations were being followed. Similar police action took place at several popular beaches in Trinidad yesterday as well.
“It was very calm—I went to visit the beaches and it was just a handful of people, most of them were able to get a first-hand ‘Baywatch’ view,” Griffith said.
