TNT MIRROR newspaper leads and others follow.

Readers were surprised when they saw a Newsday report last Saturday in its front page story headed “Top Posts for UK Cops,” stating that “Newsday exclusively reported on the appointments in yesterday’s (Friday) edition.”

But had reporter Sean Douglas read the TnT Mirror (Friday edition) two days before, he would have realised that all the dailies had got scooped with the story about the 27 retired British officers, who were given Special Reserve Police (SRP) ranks and promoted to the posts from Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) to the rank of corporal.

DOMINIC KALLIPERSAD
... collects an award.

The story in the Mirror (back page) headline, “$100,000 a month for White UK Cops,” stated that the batch of retired British police officers, who have been contracted by the government to work with the elite Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT) have recently been precepted as SRP officers.

The article went on to name Armand Delbarre (middle name is Ian) and David King as the two officers who were given ACP ranks.

Delbarre regimental number is 5527 The article also stated that two female officers were given the rank of corporal.

Mirror also said the government was reportedly paying the two top British cops l0,000 pounds Sterling (TT$110,000) a month, in addition to allowing them the use of luxury SUV vehicles to carry out their duties.

When the Mirror hit the streets early last Thursday morning, this office was bombarded with calls from concerned police officers querying the ranks of the British cops and their salaries.

The cops said they were in the dark over the appointments and wanted the Ministry of National Security to state the cost of the package of each one of the 27 officers.

The Ministry of National Security responded to the Mirror article and issued a Press release the following day (Friday) confirming the ranks of the officers and the current positions they hold in SAUTT.

But the ministry stayed cleared from the salary of the officers.

After the top weekly newspaper hit the street on Thursday, Newsday came out with a four-paragraph story, (hidden in a corner) on page four headed “Top appointment for retired UK Cop?”

But the article was very vague, (fearing that the Mirror sources may not have been credible), stating that all Assistant Commissioners of Police in the Police Executive said they were unaware of this appointment. The story went on to say that officers of the Police Second Division are yet to receive confirmation on the appointment and will be making enquiries with the Police Executive.

So when reporter Douglas said the Newsday story was exclusive, the report did not name the officers (like the Mirror the day before).

Newsday went even further on Sunday with another article headed “UK Cops Earning More than CoP,” stating that the newspaper learnt (from the Mirror) that the officers appointed ACP will be earning close to TT$100,000.

Mirror on a weekly basis has been “scooping” the dailies with a number of hot, exclusive stories week after week.

Even Guardian claimed to scoop the other dailies with an “exclusive” front page story on Sunday, “Budget Day is August 21”.

The bogus story by piffling reporter Peter Balroop turned out to be a tremendous embarrassment for Sunday Editor Sita Bridgemohan and Guardian’s Editor-In-Chief Dominic Kallipersad.

Two Cabinet ministers quickly came out and denied that government will present the 2006/2007 budget next week.

Mirror certainly leads where others, including the dailies, follow.