Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith has extended the suspension of certificate of character (CoC) applications until May 23

The CoC service was expected to be back up on May 10 after two months of disruption. However, in a release on Sunday, Griffith said, owing to the increase of covid19 cases among police, he decided to defer the resumption of the service to reduce opportunities for spread between police and civilians.

Griffith said a large number of police officers contracted covid19 in recent times and as a result of the infections, a larger number of police officers have been sent on quarantine.

According to TT Police Service Social and Welfare Association president Gideon Dickson, as of May 7, a total of 86 officers tested positive for the virus since TT saw its first case on March 12, 2020. One officer has since died of complications related to the virus. He said there are currently 586 others in quarantine.

Between March 2020 to May 7, this year, a total of 2,492 police officers have had to go into immediate quarantine, with 2,426 returning to duties.

Griffith has asked members of the public who applied for a CoC to be patient as the deferral can protect the health of police officers and the public who they serve.

In cases of an emergency, where a CoC is needed before May 23, the applications can be sent directly to Griffith.

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