Corporations support more municipal police

Advertisements are expected to be placed within a week to recruit 894 new municipal police officers with each of the country’s 14 municipal and regional corporations expected to get 100 officers to improve citizen safety and curb crime across the country.

Point Fortin Mayor Abdon Mason said there is, “always a need for additional personnel”, as there are only 19 active municipal police officers to service his corporation.

“I did a survey with our municipal police force and discovered that we have 19 active officers...

that is way below the requirement, so I think given that initiative (of Minister Hosein) we should get ourselves another 81 officers to reach the goal of 100 for this municipality,” Mayor Mason said.

“It’s a welcomed development because we have a large area to serve from a policing perspective and an additional number or strength will really help the Point Fortin area because during the period April-May, we have Borough Day celebrations where a number of persons from the entire country converge in Point to celebrate our anniversary.

“We have to ensure law and order and the safety of the general public, persons performing in Borough Day activities, specially invited guests, tourists...it’s a tall order and the additional strength is both timely and welcomed.” Mayor Mason said a “redesigned” plan for Point Fortin Carnival celebrations has been developed to stem the loss of visitors to other celebrations in other regions.

“You would recognise that Point Fortin, over the last six or so years, the Carnival celebrations have become scaled down with the various neighbouring Carnivals drawing the crowds. “What we have done is look at that and the product we call Carnival in Point Fortin and redesigned it so as to attract a greater crowd and get better community participation.

So we will have a bigger Carnival this year for sure,” Mason said.

Chairman of the UNC-controlled Mayaro/Rio Claro Regional Corporation Glen Ram who said that while the corporation possessed one of the larger geographical regions, there were only four active municipal police officers.

“We applaud this initiative because, speaking on behalf of the Mayaro/Rio Claro Regional Corporation, we are one of the corporations that are really starved for municipal police officers,” Ram said, adding, “at this time we only have 4 officers and two persons in training.” “I just hope we will get a cadre of officers to really run the municipal police the way it is supposed to be run. The Mayaro/ Rio Claro is one of the larger regions with a lot of communities within so I am saying a minimum of 50 officers would greatly assist,” he said.

“It’s time the municipal police take an active role in terms of the communities because with all the crime that is taking place within the country right now, Mayaro/ Rio Claro is not immune to it and we really need to have this municipal police presence within the region also at the assets- our recreation ground and other facilities, we need to have the police there,’ he said.

Chaguanas Borough Corporation Mayor Gopaul Boodhan said the central borough’s municipal police force remains “grossly understaffed” with a mere seven officers on duty.

“An audit was done ten years ago when the Borough did not have 110,000 persons living and working in it and at that time it was suggested a strength of 50 officers.

“That was ten years ago and right now we have seven officers on duty. The Borough has grown by leaps and bounds and I am hoping for at least 50 officers,” Mayor Boodhan said.