MORE than 200 Guard and Emergency Branch (GEB) policemen are planning a sickout to protest deplorable working conditions at their new base in the La Basse, near the Beetham, Port of Spain.

The officers, who previously worked under similar conditions in a building at Piccadilly Street, Port of Spain, told TnT Mirror that their new headquarters at the Vehicle Maintenance Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (VMCOTT) on the Beetham Highway is infested with mosquitoes, no air-condition, faulty electrical wiring and no stand-by generator (in the event of a power failure).

The officers said that it is chaos at VMCOTT, adding it is a straight case of “jumping from the frying pan into the fire”.

When heavy rains fell, their previous base at Piccadilly Street used to be flooded out.

The officers feel the rainy season has forced the authorities to relocate them for fear that they would be flooded out again.

The former GEB headquarters was cramped for space in an old building, one officer said.

“They really put we in the La Basse,” one cop observed.

“This is no place to accommodate policemen,” he added.

A spokesman for the GEB cops say they intend to stage a “sickout” which can come as early as this weekend.

The GEB is regarded as the army of the Police Service. Their duties include providing escort for the President and the Prime Minister, to break up illegal demonstrations, handle emergencies, provide security for international events (cricket and football) and escort prisoners.