(Trinidad Express) A senior British national employed with the Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT) was on Wednesday dismissed after he circulated a “disrespectful and disturbing” email regarding members of the local police service.
His email was sent out in response to the Government’s decision to terminate the services of Brigadier Peter Joseph as SAUTT’s director.
SAUTT’s Public Affairs officer Steve Henry confirmed that Jon Mattick, a Senior Investigative Officer (SIO) was sent packing after he brought the organisation into disrepute.
In an email response sent to the Express, Henry said SAUTT was not prepared to tolerate such incidents of indiscipline.
“We can confirm that disciplinary action has been taken against a SAUTT officer following the circulation of an offensive email on Monday September 20, 2010. We would like to stress that the views contained in this email were the officer’s personal opinion and in no way represent the views of this organisation.
“SAUTT finds the circulation of this type of offensive email to be totally unacceptable and the officer has been sent home, pending a decision by the SAUTT executive on what further disciplinary action should be taken,” Henry said.
A copy of Mattick’s email obtained by the Express and it read in part: “Our day-to-day experience of over-promoted, incompetent, idiotic, serving and retired TTPS senior officers within our own organisation will have illustrated to you all the incredibly low calibre of those leading the main law enforcement agency on the island, (the Lions led by Donkeys).“
The email was sent on September 20, 2010 at 9.03 p.m., from Mattick’s computer to Homicide Investigations Task Force (HITF) officers assigned to Team 1, hours after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced that the services of SAUTT’s director Brigadier Joseph was terminated.
Mattick was the officer in charge of Team 1 which is regarded as the most successful team within the task force.
Local officers at SAUTT condemned Mattick’s email. “He sent out an offensive email which is very dangerous and could cause problems with the relationship with SAUTT and the TTPS. He’s a real fool boy.
“He not here boy, they send he packing the very next day. Yesterday they had a meeting and they told us that was it with him. He gone and the head of HITF, Kevin Capstick [a retired Scotland Yard officer], called all the teams together and announced that Mattick was sent home,” one officer said.
“He [Capstick] said that he [Mattick] made an unfortunate statement in an email and he’s [Capstick] not going to condone that type of behaviour, even though he [Mattick] was one of the top investigators, and they send him home,” another officer stated. In the email, Mattick said he was saddened, astonished and shattered by government’s decision to send Brigadier Joseph home.
He said in his opinion, Joseph was one of the few people in T&T who had “the vision, drive and ability to turn the tables against the overwhelming tidal wave of criminality facing your country.
“This is undoubtedly the most serious injustice ever laid against any individual or leader in the history of your island nation. This man was, and is, a hero of your country. I find it difficult to find words to express my disgust at the events unfolding.“
Vice director Col Albert Griffith has assumed command of the unit which is expected to undergo a restructuring process.
