Minister Gary Griffith responds to calls for Crime Plans
Contrary to demands for immediate “crime plans” by critics, Minister of National Security Senator the Honourable Gary Griffith says he has no intentions to rush down the tried and failed road that the nation has endured before, which involved cosmetic approaches to reduce crime..
Minister Griffith blamed previous anti-crime failures on an eagerness for fast results, a lack of understanding in basic security structures and management, and the hasty response to social pressure to announce crime plan after crime plan every day.
He equated past “crime plans” seen in the past to the useless act of putting a plaster on a sore, and giving citizens false hope that the State was providing them with the security that they rightfully deserve.
Minister Griffith made it clear that he has no intention to fool the citizenry and waste public funds on quick-win cosmetic schemes designed to please media critics or a frustrated public demanding immediate results.
He described his game plan as one that will ensure that a proper foundation is prepared and laid out, so that the appropriate anti crime policies , when fully established, would be on firm ground and hence reap maximum results.
He stated that a proper National Security framework and a foundation of proper policies to reduce crime will be delivered .
In the meantime, Minister Griffith highlighted several projects that were currently in action that went unmentioned by his critics, namely:
– A heavy increase in law enforcement presence throughout the country with more anti-crime operations, roadblocks and stop and search exercises;
– More visibility by the rebranded Highway Patrol Unit along the nation’s highways to ensure road safety;
– Revitalization of the National Operations Centre as the backbone for intelligence gathering and sharing among law enforcement agencies
– Strengthening of Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) so as to improve detection rates;
– Introduction of Scientific Technology in the form of a GPS tracking system for police vehicles so as to improve response time in serving the public;
– Re-establishing relationships with Venezuela and Colombia so as to create a collaborative approach to border security;
– An increase in law enforcement and border security operations to treat with the issue of human trafficking into the country;
– An increase in border security operations to treat with the flow of illegal immigrants attempting to enter the country;
– Establishing ties with newly-appointed Chief of Police for the New York Police Department (NYPD) Mr. William Bratton to create a national security assessment for Trinidad and Tobago, as well as to establish working relationships between the NYPD and the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS);
– Groundwork for the establishment of a Rapid Response Unit;
– Groundwork for the establishment of the Virtual Police Officer (VIPO) project.
In addressing the current spike in murders in the country, Minister Griffith stated that his critics failed to understand that this increase is the result of criminal gangs coming under pressure from national security operations, and thus violently fighting each other for turf due to reduced opportunities for criminal activity and access to government contracts. He said that citizens were in fact much safer now than they were years ago.
Minister Griffith declared that he will continue working to provide avenues to reduce the fear of crime and make Trinidad and Tobago a safer place for law-abiding citizens.
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Marcia Hope
Director – Corporate Communications Unit
18th December 2013