What do the TTPS and calypso have in common?
Officers of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service have long contributed to this traditional artform – from providing musical accompaniment at national calypso monarch competitions to touching the lives of many through their performances on stage.
With October dubbed Calypso History Month, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service Museum curated a comprehensive display recognising the talents of their former and present officers in the calypso arena.
On Wednesday, seven of these “Calypso Cops” were invited to visit the display in the company of Deputy Commissioner of Police Suzette Martin.
She explained that through their talent, the officers reminded the wider public that behind every uniform is a human being.
“To all our police calypsonians, past, present, and those for the future, we thank you for carrying the flag of culture with pride and for showing that the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service is more than an institution of law. It is part of the living spirit of Trinidad and Tobago.”
Makeda Darius says calypso is as much a part of her identity as being a police officer. She said her love for the artform and her profession make balancing the two sometimes difficult, but giving up was never an option.
“I mean, as a calypsonian, I want to sing calypso, I want to enter my competitions, I want to do everything calypso. But also, policing is my job. So, I have to learn how to balance both of them. Sometimes I have a competition tonight and I have to go to work tomorrow. I might reach a little late, but I have to be there. The same effort I would give to calypso, I have to do it for my job.”
The same was true for iconic calypsonian Johnny King. Between 1980 and 1981, he recounted pursuing his passion for performing – a first for an active police officer – which got him an audience with then Police Commissioner Randolph Burroughs because of a regulation requiring permission to pursue activities for remuneration outside of the Police Service.
“Mr. Burroughs sent to call me and you know what happened with my pants? I got scared. I said, if they call me, they’d punish me. He called me, actually, he said he liked the song. It was in the middle of Carnival season. He asked me, ‘Do you want to sing in the tent?’ Well, I was so relieved. And he told me to apply. In those days, the Police Commissioner had no authority to grant grant permission, and I had to apply to some other authority. And I did apply. And I got approval after Carnival.”
It was a chance that allowed the calypso fraternity to welcome fellow active-duty officers to this day. The result is a richer, more versatile, and poignant calypso fraternity.
None of the seven calypsonians expressed regret for their decision to follow both passions and encouraged others to take up the mantle to protect and serve the culture as ‘Calypso Cops.’