Chin Lee to push Cabinet for car tracking technology

NATIONAL Security Minister Howard Chin Lee will address the National Security Council and Cabinet with the aim of persuading Government to buy the technology to detect licence plates and to track the mobility of vehicles throughout Trinidad and Tobago. Chin Lee, speaking about his recent trip to England, said he was particularly interested in these two areas since they can be applied against crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping as well as minor infractions such as traffic violations. “My intent is to advance our systems by using this type of technology,” he said. While declining to give a time frame for purchasing this technology, he assured that it would be done “in the shortst possible time.”

The camera surveillance system, which is being used by about 25 countries, recognises licence plates by configuring the numbers into a programme. He added that it involves having a data-base of all vehicles in the country and information on their owners. He said that the fees paid for traffic violations normally pays for the system. Chin Lee was speaking at a post-Cabinet news conference at Whitehall yesterday. The Minister also announced that Cabinet approved  two Off-Shore Patrol Vehicles (OPVs) for the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard.

Noting that there was a need for a capable Coast Guard unit, Chin Lee said these vehicles are expected to play a significant role in the war on illegal trade and safety of the sea especially in the context of expansion of off-shore activities in oil and natural gas. Chin Lee said he visited London Police Training College where, along with Acting ACP Crime James Philbert (Criminal Intelligence and Investigations), he was briefed on criminal investigations with specific reference to kidnapping. He said the team he led actually saw closed circuit TV surveillance used in crime fighting. He also explored training opportunities for Defence Force personnel and witnessed a simulation exercise employing techniques which could be used in Trinidad and Tobago.