Are such officers trifling? (5)
I believe the answer is:
petty
'trifling?' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
I can't explain the rest of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for petty that I've seen before include "Trivial - small-minded" , "Small-time" , "Marked by narrowness of mind" , "Trivial, piffling" , "This cash is of a trivial amount" .)