Cameras to be used for fetes

The four cameras in the Eye In The Sky Surveillance Unit, remained turned off yesterday and in a parked position at the National Stadium surrounded by hundreds of empty chairs. The unit was moved to the stadium on Sunday for a fete, but remained unmanned up until late yesterday. Under the cover of darkness on Friday, the Eye In The Sky Surveillance Unit (Sky Watch), which was deployed at the Cipriani Statue, Independence Square, Port-of-Spain, as part of Government’s anti-crime initiative, was removed to the National Stadium to provide surveillance duties at a fete held on Sunday night. It has been non-operational since Monday.

The unit is now under the supervision  of contractor David Smith of Up A Notch located at Petit Valley. Smith told Newsday yesterday that the unit is waiting to be re-deployed for use in Carnival fetes. He also revealed that Sky Watch is in perfect working condition and will be shifted to different venues during the Carnival season. He denied that the unit is down for repairs. The hydraulic lift in the unit malfunctioned a few weeks ago and was repaired. Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of North, Winston Cooper said yesterday that the Sky Watch will soon be re-deployed in Port-of-Spain. He could not give a time frame of how soon that will take place, but assured that Sky Watch will be back.

However, officers of the Guard and Emergency Branch who were assigned duties at Sky Watch since December 1, said that they were never informed that Sky Watch was removed. The GEB officers had been carrying out duties at the unit from 7 am to 11 am, 11 am to 3 pm, and 3 pm to 7 pm each day. Two other Sky Watch units, already purchased by Government will be deployed in Chaguanas and San Fernando. The three units cost government over $1.5 million. A Government source said yesterday that the Ministry of National Security was advised to purchase three units to assist in the fight against crime. The units are used at border sites worldwide, at correctional facilities and at sporting and cultural events which attract a large gathering of people. Since the deployment of Sky Watch at Cipriani Statue, the unit has never recorded any crime with the surveillance cameras. The SkyWatch Classic which is not bullet proof is designed to accommodate a wide range of cameras, surveillance and communication equipment and can be easily towed to different sites.