‘Pie’ in the sky

That lack of warning betrayed a certain insensitivity toward the citizens of the country, whose tax dollars are paying for this $40 million piece of equipment, and outright discourtesy to Police Commissioner Trevor Paul. Nor can the Government plead "national security" as an excuse for not letting the populace know that the blimp was to be tested. Once that test took place, the blimp was public knowledge — and so the criminals now know about it, too.

This brings us to the crux of the matter. Is the expenditure on this spyship going to pay returns with a reduction in crime? The blimp reportedly has ultra-high resolution cameras which can provide detailed images of people and objects on the ground. These cameras are supposed to be effective in day or night and in any kind of weather. The blimp is also equipped with chemical sensors. It has advanced radar and cellphone monitoring devices.

On Government’s past record, though, it would be reasonable not to expect too much from this new initiative. This is because, except for the angle on containing terrorism and drug trafficking, the Government made similar boasts when it bought the Skywatch tower at a cost of $1 million. The public was told that the unit would enable police officers to see crimes being committed anywhere in the capital city, even as far as the Queen’s Park Savannah. But the crime rate has continued unabated, and nothing has been heard since of the unit — save that it was giving technical trouble within the first weeks of use. Presumably, the blimp, which is a far more complicated piece of equipment, has better technical expertise to maintain it.

But, even if it works efficiently all the time, the blimp has obvious limitations. Had it been in operation last week, it would not have stopped the psychopath who planted the bomb in the dustbin on Frederick Street. And will it be of any use in combating the two most worrisome crimes plaguing our nation — murders and kidnappings? On the face of it, it appears that the blimp might indeed make life more difficult for would-be killers.

If its cameras are indeed so high-tech, then keeping them trained on the hotspots in Laventille, Morvant, and Diego Martin and elsewhere could reduce street killings. On the other hand, since the blimp itself is easily visible from the ground, all the killers have to do is wait till it is patrolling some area they aren’t in. Additionally, many of these gang-related killings follow a pattern where the murderers enter the person’s home and shoot them. For the Skyship cameras to locate the killers it would require fast communication from the ground.

Similarly, the blimp can hardly be used to prevent kidnappings. Detecting abductors would depend on reliable intelligence on the ground, since the blimp would not know what vehicle to track in the case of an abduction. And, again because of its visibility, it can hardly be used to record the payments of ransom and so identify the kidnappers. That leaves the detection of drug trafficking — which depends to a great extent on the scope of the blimp’s radar and the officers in charge being of the highest integrity.

We do hope the Skyship proves useful. But we remain concerned that the Manning administration is focusing on showy initiatives rather than attending to the basics of effective detection and quick convictions. Time will tell if this spy in the sky turns out to be just pie in the sky.