$120m for Police

The TTPS has been under pressure from all quarters to improve on its poor crime detection rate.

Prime Minister Keith Rowley revealed the major spend on the service in his address to the nation last night, which included a stirring plea to the national community to “respect and support your policemen and women.” “It is they who stand between you and those who may wish to harm you,” the Prime Minister told the nation.

He had earlier in his nationally televised address alluded to the crime situation with which the country has had to grapple as it seeks also to deal with the quite parlous economic situation.

“As we focus on making our way in the world amidst much that we have little control over,” he said, “We wake up each day to the numbing news of the depressing actions of a proportionately small number of our citizens; non-stop killings; from the revenge murders among the organised criminal gangs to the ever too frequent tragedies of domestic violence; to the inexplicable mindless acts of wantonness which defy logic, causing us to believe that amongst us there are warped minds which place no value on human life.” He said his government is resolute in its commitment to confront those who choose crime as a way of life and undertake to work tirelessly to rebuild a sense of safety through meaningful reduction of crime and removal of the fear of crime in our communities.

The Prime Minister said that in order to accomplish this the Government will sustain its resourcing of the TTPS and other security agencies to allow them to better engage in crime prevention and detection.

“To this end recently the National Security Council had Cabinet authorise a US$17.5 major equipment purchase to upgrade the intelligence gathering efforts of the Police,” the Prime Minister disclosed. “This is expected to significantly boost evidence gathering and greatly assist the law enforcement capabilities of the security agencies.” Pointing out that the country has spent $25 billion on national security over the last five years, the Prime Minister said that our officers have been trained and retrained, and facilities have been updated and technologically modernised.

“It is not unreasonable for us to expect to reap the rewards of this mammoth investment and quite frankly hold our police officers more responsible and accountable,” the Prime Minister said. “The Government believes that with proper management systems and a “can do “attitude that they have it within them to get the job done.

He told members of the national community in the not too distant future the government was looking forward to people identifying with their local Municipal community constabulary and their volunteers which was all part of the local government reform deliverables which the administration has been working on for the last 12 months.

He said government was eagerly awaiting the appointment of a Police Commissioner, and live in hope to bear fruit from the new spirit of collaboration and cooperation between the Government and the Opposition.

“Only time will tell,” the Prime Minister said. Rowley added last night: “Steps have been taken to initiate the still cumbersome process with the intention of having a substantive Commissioner of Police appointed. It is the intention of the Government to invite the Opposition to cooperate with us to abolish the current failed process and replace it with some new arrangement such as an accountable Police Service Commission cloaked with the responsibility and authority to supervise an effective modern Police Service.” The Prime Minister said the government has been encouraging the TTPS to decentralise its efforts by concentrating its manpower and leadership over an aggressive regional substructure. He suggested that this would bring greater accountability alongside more actionable information and boots on the pavement over more hours of the day.

“Programs to build public trust, including rooting out corrupt and otherwise unsuitable individuals from the Service is a major part of the plan,” Rowley said last night.