An off-duty police officer was beaten by a group of men with golf clubs early Sunday morning after he instructed them to close the doors to their vehicles, which were parked on the side of the road close to the Trinidad and Tobago Sailing Association in Chaguaramas.

Up to last night, police constable Dale Boxill, 39, remained warded at the Port of Spain General Hospital with injuries to his head and other parts of his body.

Boxill, who has been a police officer for the past nine years, is attached to the Traffic Branch of the Police Service. Speaking from his hospital bed, Boxill said at around 2.30 a.m., he was driving past the TTSA with a friend in his company when they told the group to close the doors to the vehicles because they were obstructing traffic.

Boxill said he then drove off but shortly after, he realised the group was following him.

’They just drove up and blocked my car. One of the fellas put his hand in my car and pulled the keys from the ignition, so in trying to get back my keys, I told him I was a police officer and then forcefully pushed the door. They said they don’t care about no police,’ he said.

It was then the group of about ten men in four vehicles went to their cars and pulled out golf clubs and baseball bats, Boxill said. He, along with his friend, a former police officer who only gave his name as Skeete, was then beaten about the body by the group.

Boxill, the son of Molly Boxill, a former member of the Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Board, suffered injuries to his head and arms while Skeete was said to have been bleeding internally.

Boxill said he was taken to the St Clair Medical Centre yesterday to have a CAT scan done to determine the extent of the injuries to his head.

He also said measures had to be taken to ensure off-duty officers were protected. He said one option was to allow officers to carry their service revolver while off duty.

Carenage police said investigations into the incident are continuing.