Minister orders cops to stop rush hour roadblocks, after second day of gridlock outrage

Commuters' headaches over gridlock traffic caused by rush hour police roadblocks are one step closer to being over.

National Security Minister Brigadier Carl Alfonso met with the executives of the T&T Police Service (TTPS) this afternoon, after public outrage came to a boil following the second consecutive weekday morning of police roadblocks during peak-hour traffic. Hundreds of drivers and other commuters across Trinidad and parts of Tobago were affected by the police action, which forced many to sit for up to an hour or more in standstill traffic, and ultimately arrive late for work and school.

The meeting aimed "to ensure that the traffic situation experienced last Friday and today on our nation's roadways due to roadblocks is not repeated," a statement from the Ministry said.

Minister Alfonso was also expected to meet with the National Security Council this afternoon to discuss the impasse, the statement said.

"The Minister will also meet tomorrow with the Police Service Association, subsequent to a meeting scheduled to take place between the Association and the Chief Personnel Officer. The Minister and Government are expecting a prompt resolution to the impasse through tomorrow's meeting," the statement said.

Earlier, the Minister ordered police officers to stop the nationwide roadblocks that caused gridlock traffic this morning across Trinidad and parts of Tobago. 

 

The roadblocks are believed to be a form of protest action by officers of the T&T Police Service, in response to an unresolved standoff with the Chief Personnel Officer's over ongoing wage negotiations. 
 

However, TTPS Communications Manager Ellen Lewis released a statement saying the exercises were previously scheduled and were supposed to finish at 7 am and 7.30 am.
 

Association vice president Insp. Roger Alexander also denied claims that the roadblocks were a form of protest, saying the officers were only doing their jobs.