Trevor C Joseph
Retired Police Officer No 15602.
Formerly SRP # 3300.
Email: trevorcjoseph@yahoo.com
Cell Phone: 1 345 547 2523
Land phone: 1 345 746 1153
Monday 5th October, 2006
Your Ref: OPM: 5/4/8 Vol.1

Mr. Patrick M. A.Manning
Honourable Prime Minister
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
Whitehall
#29 Maraval Road,
Port of Spain,
Telephone: (868) 622-1625 (PBX)
Fax: (868) 622-0055 Website: http://www.opm.gov.tt
Email: opm@ttgov.tt
Telephone: (868) 624-6567, 624-6695, 624-8328
Fax: (868) 625-9887

Honourable Prime Minister.

I am struggling to explain and express myself so if there appears to be the slightest hint of insubordination or lack of protocol please attribute it to my ignorance. I feel that when you read this you will agree that I should have written to you again.

Your last letter dated 24th June, 2005, (I officially retired May 29th 2005), felt like everything was fixed and that the appropriate directive was effected so that the Commissioner of Police could in turn issue his directive to have at least Gratuity paid to me for June Month’s end..

You might be surprised to know that up to this time, today, nothing has been done. Instead, they replied to you (Police call that: “Footworks.”) and have not even been given me an opportunity to see what they said in their displeasure, as I wrote to the PM. So that I can defend myself, in case there were any errors mistakenly or on purpose, Sir.
All I am hearing since that time, like a stuck record, is: “We are waiting on a directive.” Before that time, from since when I sent in my resignation more than a year in advance, it was: “We have to write somebody to find out what to do.”
And other various and contrary replies were: “We are waiting on a reply from the CPO. The CPO gave a ruling that people like you should be paid because the Absorpees that elected to receive a package was paid based on how many years full time they worked as SRPs. We have to write the CPO. We have to write the Commissioner of Police and he has to write the CPO. We have to write the Minister of National Security and make a plea for you and others like you to get pension too.” Unquote. Yet, in the interim, they do not give the proper information about me ---Trevor C. Joseph – SRP #3300 -21st August 1989 through Absorpee 15602 TTPS Trevor C Joseph on 26th January, 2001 effective from retroactive April 16th 1996. Instead, they have entitled my file, from 1996 to 2005 and pretending they are trying to help me.

Honourable Prime Minister, you might wish to know that many regular Police try to prevent SRPs from getting any benefit at all at anytime, while they jump in front and pretend to be helping. I knew all along, from my many experiences and the experience of others, that they will grind their teeth and try to prevent me from getting even a solitary black cent as long as they get a little excuse.

That is why I wrote to you early O’clock asking for a directive to be sent on how I should be handled so that I could escape vagrancy. Doesn’t it seem quite clear now (to me, as dumb as I am) that they have no intention, and never had, to pay me a black cent? I feel that they bunch me with others in a file entitled: “These not to be paid” and then say: (a) “Tell him we are waiting on a directive.” (b) “Tell him we are trying to help him get pension and that is why it is taking so long.. (c) “Tell him this tell him that; (d) “Tell him something; anything. Get rid of him. Let him go back to the Prime Minister.”

What is worse is that even if following the alleged ‘awaiting directive’ they get a directive and begin to process, they have a next excuse to employ delaying tactics. “It will take a next six Months or more before I get anything.” They. intend to make me a vagrant.
They tell me that everything is processed already and waiting on the directive but no one yet has asked me for a life Certificate to put in the already processed and waiting.

I sat down trying to figure out what to do because I do not want to take up anymore of your time away from your very busy schedule, but if I write to you again, what shall I say. I found this letter I wrote to you before about a year ago (copy attached dated…Monday 9th May, 2005) and found, that, that is still exactly what I want and needs to say now. I feel certain that it is from them that you got the decision that I should only be paid Gratuity at the rate of one twelfth of a Month’s pay multiplied by the amount Months worked; but now someone is suggesting: “You could get back yuh money you know; Someone else like you, say somebody tell them that you all have nothing to get.” Unquote. See what I mean? They do not even want to pay that. Lord have mercy!!

Does not the Law say: “Under five years. You get back your money paid for pension and Gratuity; and under ten years you get Gratuity only, at the rate as explained above?” Here I am struggling to be polite to the Honourable Prime Minister, while persons to process my payments and present a good case for me, aren’t afraid to be dishonourable or impolite to him or anybody when he says to pay, where more of his time will not be wasted.

It may very well be that it is the same Pension & Leave Staff who is the advisor to the Commissioner of Police on these matters (who in turn advised your office of my service from 1989 and that I should only get Gratuity) therefore the C.O.P can not in turn give them a directive contrary to the advice they just gave to him: “We ‘not’ making up no papers for Joseph because….tahdahdahdada! The directive has to come from somewhere else. Maybe. I don’t know.

Please help me? I still have dependents and do not have my own house and I need the funds urgently.

I remain yours respectfully
Trevor C. Joseph.
Retired Police #15602.