Security Minister says law enforcement needs help

NATIONAL Security Minister Martin Joseph has indicated that as the face of crime and security changes both in TT and the Caribbean, entities which were never part of the war against crime must now join the fray to ensure criminals do not achieve their objectives. Joseph made this observation at the recent opening of a Caribbean Security Sector Senior Command and Staff Training Programme in Chaguaramas. The minister said, “no longer is multilateral cooperation an option” given the realities of globalisation and increasing transnational crime. 

“It is a necessity, if we are to successfully surmount these challenges — the threat of terrorism and the trade in illegal drugs and firearms being primary cases in point,” he stated. Against this background, Joseph said, “Agencies that were not traditionally directly engaged in law enforcement are drawn into the sector, making the need for strategic management and leadership skills even more critical.” Noting that other regional governments were also grappling with increasing numbers of serious crimes, Joseph said TT was all too aware of the dangers which this posed to its international reputation and foreign investment potential. The minister said like its regional neighbours, TT is “determinedly battling these evils.”