While there have been numerous studies done worldwide on body-worn cameras used by select police departments, none were commissioned across an entire country, making TT the first national-level study. Williams stated that 60 body-worn cameras, donated by TSTT, will be fully implemented into the police service effective August 1, and will be distributed among the nine divisions of the TTPS to support the national-level study. The six-month pilot will be done in conjunction with a hotspot policing experiment to provide the synergies needed to help improve the work of the police service.

Dr Ronald Walcott, TSTT’s chief executive officer shared that TSTT has partnered with the Ministry of National Security for quite some time and provided several enterprise solutions, including over 1,600 CCTV cameras with the command centres, transport and access system to support them throughout TT.

“We are extremely pleased to be a part of this pilot programme as it is a natural expansion of the CCTV initiative and a step in the right direction.” He continued, “Our commitment is to assist in the fight against crime in Trinidad and Tobago, so we have provided the 60 body-worn cameras, along with the technology to support them, free of charge to the TTPS. This ground-breaking initiative will complement the tactics and methods currently employed by the police officers in the execution of their duties, aid in its modernisation, facilitate greater accountability and transparency in the reporting of incidents as they occur, enhance the relationship that the police officers have with the public and aid in building the confidence that is needed to effect good policing.”

Dr Walcott said the TSTT team ensured that the best technology available globally was brought to help with the fight against crime. He discussed the camera’s features which include a 210-degree angle; low light operation; five integrated microphones; pre-buffering so it’s always ready to record; ten-hour battery life; tempered glass display with an intuitive user interface; and water proofing for submersion up to 30 minutes. Dr. Walcott noted that the footage is encrypted so it cannot be modified by the police officers wearing the cameras. Once the encrypted footage is captured, it is transmitted to the command centre which is a highly secure, cloud-based solution with several layers of security and restricted access.

“We ensured that the solution was robust, reliable, versatile, secure and designed in such a way that it does not hinder the officer. We also explored studies that were done around the world so we could do some comparisons. One of these, a 2015 University of South Florida survey showed the use of body-worn cameras attained a 53 per cent decrease in response to resistance complaints; a 65 per cent decrease in civilian complaints; and injuries to civilians and police officers also showed a significant reduction. Other global studies showed similar benefits from police officers wearing body cameras,” Dr Walcott said.

Williams thanked TSTT for its support and shared that enthusiasm was high within the TTPS as the officers are aware of the many benefits to be gained from body worn cameras. “In fact, one of the strongest advocates is the president of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service Social and Welfare Association, Inspector Michael Seales, who recognised that officers are disadvantaged when people use mobile phone cameras to capture parts of incidents, as this may not truly represent the whole event involving police and civilians.”

Williams said that the pilot programme will be used to assess the impact of body worn cameras on many aspects of policing and police-citizen interactions, including the extent and nature of compliance with the use of body worn cameras; the quality of hotspot patrols; the use of force by police officers while out on duty; firearm discharges by police officers; injuries sustained by police officers and civilians during police-civilian interactions; and complaints against police officers.

“Each year Tobago sees an influx of tourists for the Tobago Heritage fest, the Great fete, the Great Race and Emancipation Day celebrations.

I would like to assure the public, both local and foreigners that the TTPS is prepared to treat with any increase in individuals.

We would like to assure our visitors especially that we at the TTPS are working assiduously to ensure your vacation is a safe and enjoyable one.” Hazel added that while the service is prepared to deal with the increase in persons on the island, he urged visitors to use caution when venturing away from the hotels after dark. “The TTPS is requesting that all persons heed the suggestions of the police and secure all valuables in a vault or safe, avoid walking around with large quantities of cash or valuables, avoid taking rides from strangers and please be aware of your surroundings at all times.” ASP Michael Pierre agreed with Ag Supt Hazel’s sentiments and called on parents to ensure that there children were in the care of a responsible adult before leaving the house.

He also urged parents to avoid entering large crowds of persons with small children as they may suffocate or become lost.

“I would like to make a particular plea to parents, please ensure that your child is secure and in the company of a trusted, responsible adult if you need to leave them at home for any period of time. Avoid leaving them in the care of the elderly or the infirmed and also try to avoid entering a crowd with small children as they may suffocate.”

After waiting for almost four hours, my number was finally called. The attending clerk perused my application and duly informed me that I needed to get further documentation to support my claim. I pointed our that I had all the required documents but I was told to get the documents as directed.

I returned the following morning to wait another two hours but this time I was pleasantly surprised to have a very pleasant and helpful young woman attend to me.

I was there long enough the previous day to observe the different clerks perform their duties and this young woman stood out even then.

Amidst all the horror stories we hear about the NIB, I acknowledge the person who made my second visit a worthwhile one. I observed two others who went out of their way to help visitors.

Those employees are truly assets to the NIB and I hope others will use them as examples to improve their customer service, especially to the elderly who make up the majority of clients.

KARMINI PARSAN Barataria

Carter could only muster a sixth place finish in heat 10, of the men’s 100-metre freestyle, and was not able to book a place in the semi-final phase.

On Sunday, Carter placed 19th overall and failed to go past the first round in the men’s 50m butterfly while, a day later, he finished 24th overall and was unable to progress to the semi-final round of the men’s 200m freestyle.

Paul, who competes in the super heavyweight division, will leave this week for England.

Paul was this country’s lone boxer at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. In other boxing news, The Arena organised by ACT TV continues with the elite boxing showcase at the Cosmic Boxing Gym in Marabella on Saturday, from 7 pm.

These bouts are televised and its popularity is encouraging more fans to support boxing, while giving the TT boxers the necessary exposure and preparation they need for regional and international tournaments.

Although TT did not win a medal at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in Bahamas from July 18 to 23, the Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Association congratulated the young national boxers for their effort.

SATURDAY’S CARD Tyrell Cadette (YTC Conquerors) vs Isaac Herbert (Golden Fist) – 81kg light heavyweight
Romel Lezama (YTC Conquerors) vs Akiel Outram (Biomel Boxing Gym) – 69kg welterweight
Shakir Garcia (Magic Community Boxing) vs Anthony Joseph (World Class Boxing Gym) – 56kg bantamweight
Blessing Waldropt (Biomel Boxing Gym) vs Sherkeem Hernandez (YTC Conquerors) – 60kg lightweight
Jeremiah Thomas (TB) vs Keon Harry (East POS) – 91kg heavyweight
Joshua Sylvester (Biomel Boxing Gym) vs Nickell Joseph (Siparia Boxing Gym) – 75kg middleweight
Kyleron Ruiz (Potential Boxing Gym) vs Akiel Thomas (South East POS) – 69kg welterweight

Last week Thursday, the Defence Force issued an apology to Maharaj for wrongly ascribing blame to him for civilians, namely children of Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, being allowed onto off-limit areas at Camp Cumuto and to hold Defence Force owned and commissioned machineguns last October.

This inaccurate finding was contained in a report issued by a Board of Inquiry which was constituted to investigate the breach of military rules after Opposition MP Roodal Moonilal waved photos of the AG’s children posing with the weapons during a sitting of the Lower House last October.

Maharaj, who from day one, has strenuously denied ever giving any permission to the AG or anyone else to have civilians enter Camp Cumuto sought under the Freedom of Information Act, to get a copy of the Board of Inquiry’s report.

On April 25, then Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier General Rodney Smart, by letter, stated, “It was established that the former Chief of Defence Staff Major General Kenrick Maharaj, acting on his own volition, authorised the range practice.” The TTDF subsequently set up a Board of Inquiry to investigate.

Maharaj last week Thursday, received a response from Lt Col Sheldon Ramnanan, which stated, “The record of proceedings of the Board of Inquiry did not name you, Major General Kenrick Maharaj, nor did it state that you had any knowledge of the subject range practice and or that you granted approval for same to be conducted.

The Defence Force sincerely apologises for any inconvenience and or embarrassment caused to you by the aforementioned.” Contacted for comment last week, Maharaj said, “the responses did not meet my expectations and I have chosen to reserve comment until I decide my next move.” Newsday understands that over the weekend, Captain Pritchard reached out to Maharaj on his return from Miami and agreed to provide a more comprehensive response to his (Maharaj) request for a copy of the report of proceedings of the Board of Enquiry.

Sources revealed that Captain Pritchard apologised verbally to Maharaj.

In a press release yesterday, UWI St Augustine campus principal Professor Brian Copeland said he met with First Citizens Deputy CEO Operations and Administration, Sterling Frost on June 16, to discuss the importance of strategic planning, persistence and systemic change in charting a course toward the sustainable development of various industries in Trinidad and Tobago.

“A big ship takes miles to turn. We have been graduating top-class Computer Science students for years; if they were allowed to grow and develop we could have been exporting that talent.” He continued, “I commended Mr Frost and the team at First Citizens for recognizing the potential of my students and offering them an opportunity to add practical experience to their academic training.

There is no way we can develop the country without these kinds of partnerships.” Copeland said the 12-week programme has allowed the 15 students from the university to join the First Citizen Group.

He said the students have been tasked with tackling a range of ICT related projects under the supervision of both UWI faculty, and First Citizens ICT staff, and discussed the possibility of further iterations of the internship program which would see it extended beyond ICT to include other disciplines.

Dr Permanand Mohan head of the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology (DCIT) at UWI was also present at the meeting and expressed his appreciation for the commitment of the entire First Citizens team involved in the project remarking on the topdown support received by him and his colleagues. The program began on May 3 and concludes on August, 22.

The land bordering the coastline from Chatham to Icacos is mainly uninhabited since it is marshy and swampy. Islote Point divides this long stretch of coastline, which consists of Erin Bay (E) and Isolate Bay (W). Along the route, nine miles (14.5km) west from Chatham is the first point of interest, the St Marie Mud Volcano situated on the Balka Deva Hindu site in Bonasse Village, Cedros. Further down the coast 4.75 miles from the mandir is the district of Icacos.

The Arawaks referred to the place as Icaco named after the fat pork fruit.

There is a lot of distinguished history along this coastline.

On July 31, 1498, Columbus sailed through this channel and called Icacos Point “Punta Del Arenal.” During the night a wave violently crashed against one of the ships, snapping its anchor.

Columbus fearful and surprised named the passage Boca de la Sierpe or The Serpent’s Mouth.

One century later on March 22, 1595, another prominent explorer, Sir Walter Raleigh sailed through Icacos Point.

He cast his anchor at Point Curiapan which was called by the Spaniards, Punta de Gallo or Los Gallos, meaning The Cocks.

On Saturday: Fitness Walkers explores the Chatham to Icacos Coast.

Duration: The 14 miles, one-way walk along the beach from Chatham to Icacos will take 3-4 hours depending on one’s pace. There is a chance that high tide can cause delays.

Assembly time: 5.30am at Mt Hope to depart by 6.30 am.

South pickup time: 7am at KFC Gulf City San Fernando.

Maxis drop the group to Chatham Bay and later pickup at Icacos Bay.

For slow walkers, there is an optional pickup at St Marie Volcano or Balka Deva Hindu site.

For more info: www.

islandhikers.com

Many of my examples are based on real experiences gained over a period of time in countries and cultures. As such, as I sit in a lounge in a hotel in the middle of London, I observed an interaction with two separate groups of people, with very different outcomes. The first group greeted each other with the usual pleasantry, and as the other party was about to respond to the question asked – “How are you?” – the person who asked the question continued directly into a conversation. Obviously, the person who was asked about how they were, clearly being very familiar with this manner of interaction, just stood there, without saying a word, and listened for a brief moment before cutting the conversation and making their way out.

The second group, I noted, expressed the same sentiment to each other. This time, each party actually took the opportunity to allow the person to speak to how they were, while listening intently for any additional cues for continued conversation. The experience was shared, as the other party spoke about what was transpiring in their lives, all the while uninterrupted. I was familiar with both groups, hence my ability to share in the observation of interactions.

Though this may seem somewhat insignificant to some, as we have become so familiar with the vacuous sentiments, it is just not good enough. If you are not interested in finding out what’s really happening with someone, then why ask? In this age of social media, I am seeing this played out over and over, where people who have become ‘friends’ on a social media platform, complain on the said platform “we are friends on Facebook, yet you pass me by on the streets.” Really, how many of you can attest to this experience? The point is, many people have established these ‘friendships’ on various media platforms, perhaps expecting that friendship to be on par with the standard definition of friendship. However, in this scenario, a number of issues must be taken into consideration, including, the number of ‘friends’ any one person may have (for example, I have approximately 4,000), the person’s status, the reason for being on various social media platforms, among others. The most important factor I believe, is the definition of ‘friend’ as it relates to these platforms.

One should be very wary and should understand that even though you may share a social media platform with an individual, that does not necessarily make you ‘friends’ – in the real sense of the word. Sometimes relationships may blossom to this, but, in the main, tread lightly.

I mentioned, cultural sensitivity earlier on in this article, and it is important to appreciate the culture within one operates as this also provides a solid guide for the response to this question. In Hungary, for example, when one is asked “how are you?” this is seen as a genuine request to know more about your well-being, and the standard answer “I’m good” or “I’m fine” may be perceived as rude. Whereas in the United States for instance, the question, when asked, is simply a quick “Hi,” and let’s get on with it. This, however, does not take away from the primary focus of pure humanity and civility when enquiring of a person’s well-being, which essentially is what we do when we ask, “how are you?”

He said some ambulances used to transport patients to hospitals are glorified mini buses illequipped to deal with emergencies. Stuart said government is to be blamed for this as they never set up an Ambulance Authority Board.

Stuart said many are using panel buses, changing the colour and passing it off as ambulances.

He said the most reliable ambulance service in the country is Global Medical Response (GMR). Stuart expressed disappointment with the Emergency Health Services (EHS) which he claimed are using improvised mini buses. “The first internal ambulance arrangement was with the North West Regional Health Authority but now all the RHAs have in house ambulances which are really vans that they painted the word ‘Ambulance’ and put in sirens.” Stuart said when the RHAs came into being, the fleet of ambulances under the Ministry of Health were entrusted to the RHAs.

“What happened and government is also to be blamed, they were supposed to set up an Ambulance Authority and an Ambulance Advisory Board.

These are two boards they have not set up to date and instead they have a retired doctor who oversee an operation which an entire department should be entrusted with,” he said