$25M choppers for Anti-Crime Unit

GOVERNMENT will purchase two high tech helicopters for the Special Anti-Crime Unit in the new fiscal year at a total cost of $25.4 million. According to the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) 2005, Government has agreed to the “procurement of two helicopters for use by the Special Anti-Crime Unit.” The National Helicopter Services Ltd (NHSL) has been contracted to supply helicopters and provide for their operation and maintenance. The NHSL has already purchased one of the helicopters “for which specialised equipment is on order, and is currently making efforts to source the second helicopter.” The NHSL has also purchased an additional helicopter for its own operations. In his 2004/2005 Budget presentation on Friday, Prime Minister Patrick Manning said the unit “is now fully operational and is performing an increasingly important role in this country’s fight against crime.”

The Prime Minister also said Government would be strengthening the TT Defence Force with “armed helicopters for surveillance and drug interdiction” which would play a vital part in Government’s anti-crime strategies. In fiscal 2004, Government spent $110 million in new equipment for various branches of the protective services. The police received $48.4 million in equipment, including 2,050 bulletproof vests, 16 computer systems and 100 new vehicles in specific crime-prone areas, 25 motorcycles at a cost of $2 million and 11 police mobile units at a cost of $7.1 million. Government also focused on providing the police with new technology such as the Integrated Ballistics Identification System which has significantly enhanced the Forensic Science Centre’s  capacity “for forensic analysis of firearms and ammunition” and training police officers in specialised areas such as fraud investigation, strategic intelligence analysis and major crime investigation techniques.

In the area of prison reform, Government’s 2005-2007 Social and Economic Policy Framework indicates that Cabinet has approved the creation of a Parole Introduction Committee. This committee will work together a Prison Service transformation unit to launch a parole system in fiscal 2005. The National Security Ministry received a $2.3 billion allocation in the Budget — the second highest allocation to a Government ministry — and of this amount, $167.6 million will be allocated to the protective services to be used for maintenance of public order and safety in fiscal 2005. The Education Ministry was the Budget’s main beneficiary, receiving $3.1 billion out of the total package of $27 billion. Other significant beneficiaries were the Ministry of Health ($1.86 billion) and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education ($1 billion). Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday will begin the Budget debate in the House of Representatives at 10 am tomorrow.