‘Eye in the Sky’ hiding behind West Mall

Police sources complained: "Putting it there is a waste of time because the only thing you see is the back and the top of the mall. And since West Mall has no major report of car-thefts or robberies to the back, the only action the officer or the machine gets is when it goes up and down for change of shift, or for the officer to eat, stretch or do toilet duties.

"Except for being air-conditioned there are no cameras for recording and with the officer not being able to see what is happening in front or at the side of the building, it is a big dud.

"And on the other side of the ‘Skywatch’ is the Towers (West Condo) which blocks any view of the seaside. The Towers which is a gated community have no major reports of crime.

"The person who placed it there should be fired, sent on long leave or transferred. The ‘Eye in the Sky’ could be put where it can be of better use or the officers who man the machine sent where they can be of more use." The ‘Skywatch’ is located smack between the two buildings at the back of the mall.

Three controversial Skywatch machines were bought last year costing $1.3 M to assist police in the detection and prevention of crimes in the hot-spots of TT. The first was introduced downtown Port-of-Spain in December 2004.

Two others were introduced earlier this year and have been moved around time and time again to selected hot spots. To date there has been no public statement on how much crimes it has solved or prevented. When contacted a senior officer said he did not know how it came to be there but will look into the situation.