Crime no threat to local economy

Speaking after addressing a conference hosted by UK security company Genesa at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Port-of-Spain, Browne said statistics will show crime has no effect on investments.

“I feel numbers will say none. Certainly, crime is something we all need to be concerned about, it is certainly on the national agenda, clearly on government’s agenda. We are in a difficult position attempting to deal with the current situation but there are measures in place,” Browne said.

His comment came a day after Chamber of Commerce President Ian Collier warned that crime was affecting trade and business in the country and that Prime Minister Patrick Manning should relieve Martin Joseph of the National Security portfolio.

“Measures are being discussed and not all the initiatives that are being taken can be published and publicised from a national security perspective and I do not sit on the national security council. The council has an inner team and they work,” Browne said.

Security for next year’s Summit of the Americas to be held in this country is also of the utmost importance, he added.

“Not only will it be one of the largest but it will be one of the most significant summit because Trinidad and Tobago will be hosting the new President of the United States for the first time. So we have to put some emphasis on what we do and how we do it,” he said.

During his address, Browne commended Genesa and its local affiliate iTechologies for hosting the conference which featured presentations on and displays and demonstrations of several of security systems and products currently available.

Browne said that TT’s LNG exports account for between 60-70 percent of North American LNG imports. “It has been said and repeated many times but I am not certain that the TT public has understood the implication of what that number means. It means that little TT has geo-political significance,” he said.

And as such, there is need for an upgrade in local security systems, he said, to defend our position with regard to gas resources and exports.

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"Crime no threat to local economy"

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