Ministry of National Security

As a result of a number of initiatives implemented by the PNM Government in the 2015 to 2020 period, the situation in Trinidad and Tobago with crime and security has improved over the past five years and positive results are manifesting themselves with a greater presence of the Police Service in our communities, more proactive and effective policing and reduced numbers of serious crimes. All surveys and opinion polls indicate that citizens of Trinidad and Tobago feel safer today than they felt 5 years ago

Some of these measures are:

HUMAN RESOURCES AND ORGANIZATIONAL IMPROVEMENT

Appointment of a permanent Commissioner of Police, a key appointment that was left vacant since 2012. The new Commissioner has moved apace to modernize and improve the capacity and responsiveness of the Police Force
Appointment of younger officers to the positions of Chief of Defence Staff and Director of the Strategic Services Agency, allowing for more continuity in office
Restructuring of critical units in the Police Service, such as the Special Operations Response Team, White Collar Crime Unit and Social Media Monitoring Unit
Operationalization of the National Operations Fusion Centre and the establishment of a National Intelligence Fusion Centre, leading to a sharing of resources, intelligence, and more focused intelligence driven operations.
Provision of more resources to the Financial Investigations Branch of the Police Service, to deal with money laundering, corruption, and fraud
Provision of additional resources to the Counter Trafficking Unit, to deal with human trafficking.
Deployment of multi-agency specialist teams to provide land and coastal surveillance, operations, and intervention

SOCIAL INTERVENTIONS

Establishment of Team Nightingale to deal with the issues associated with individuals returning from ISIS conflict zones
Expansion of the Military-Led Academic Training and Civilian Conservation Corps Programmes for youth
Provision of greater support for the Cadet Force and Police Youth Clubs
Launch of the CURE VIOLENCE programme to assist with mediation and intervention in communities with more prevalent crime issues
Expansion and improvement of training and academic programmes for prison inmates
Collaboration with NGOs such as Vision on a Mission, to promote reform and rehabilitation of inmates
Registration of 16,500 Venezuelan Migrants for humanitarian and security reasons

DIPLOMACY AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Strengthening of relationships with various foreign organizations assisting Trinidad and Tobago in the fight against transnational and domestic crime
Building of closer relationships with the United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union and their various law enforcement and intelligence agencies

SPECIAL PROJECTS

Seamless and efficient demonetization of $8 billion in old $100 cotton notes and replacement with a new and modern $100 polymer note in a manner that is now the global case study for successful demonetization

MODERN TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT

Application of greater technology in national security, especially within the Police Service
Use of GPS tracking and real time cameras on Emergency Response Patrol vehicles, more efficient CCTV Command Centres in the Police Service
Use of body cameras and drones in conjunction with the E-999 system.
Improvement of the security systems in the Prisons – upgrade of alarms and CCTV systems

Procurement of a new state of the art National CCTV system
Improvement of border security – upgrade of coastal radar system, refurbishment of Coast Guard interceptors
Acquisition of 200 new motorbikes for the Police Service
Commissioning of the construction of two Cape Class Offshore Patrol Vessels from Australia

POLICE STATION, FIRE STATIONS AND PRISON SECRUITY FACILITIES

Completion of new state of the art police stations in Besson Street and St Joseph, in Trinidad and Shirvan Road and Roxborough in Tobago
Commencement of construction of state-of- the-art police stations in Carenage and St Clair
Construction of a permanent Regimental base in south Trinidad at Camp La Romaine
Commencement of refurbishment of the Remand Prison
Completion and opening of a new fire station in Penal

In its next term, the PNM Government will continue its progressive programme of building capacity and strengthening our national security apparatus and institutions to combat crime and criminality, which will yield further positive results and create the environment for increased safety and security for the Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.

Our plans for the next term include:

CONSTRUCTION OF NATIONAL SECURITY FACILITIES

Continuation of the programme of construction of new police stations and fire stations in strategic locations and upgrade of our prisons
Construction of a new Police Service Headquarters Building in Sea Lots opposite the Central Market, Port of Spain. This state- of-the-art facility will allow the Police Service to house critical units under the same roof in a strategic location.
Construction of a new state of the art DNA and Forensic Centre
Construction of new facilities for the Defence Force in Tobago
Upgrade of the Defence Force facilities at Staubles and Tetron.
Construction of a new prison in Tobago.
Establishment a special court within the prison compound to hear the trials of high-risk prisoners

TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT

Increased use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Drones) by the Police Service and the National Security Air Unit
Acquisition of helicopters for the National Security Air Unit to be manned by the Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard for use by the Defence Force, Police Service, Intelligence Agencies and National Security for law enforcement and responding to natural disasters
Upgrade of the fixed wing assets of the Air Guard
Procurement of state-of-the-art Emergency Response Patrol vehicles
expansion of the Police Service CCTV Command Centre Capability
Upgrade of the technology at the National Operations Fusion Centre and the National Intelligence Fusion Centre
Acquisition of state-of-the-art intelligence equipment
Investment in further technology for the Police Service, such as body cameras and tasers
Procurement of interceptors for the Coast Guard
Provision of equipment and fire trucks and tenders for the Fire Service
Upgrade of the Immigration Department’s systems to facilitate the use of biometrics and other available technology

ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT

Improvement of crime scene investigation and forensic capability of the Police Service
Improve the Police Service capacity in ballistics testing
Expand and operationalize the Police Service Marine Branch.
Expand the National Intelligence Fusions Centre to assist intelligence driven law enforcement operations.
Establish a specialized multi-agency border interdiction unit to tackle the illegal importation of narcotics, weapons, and other contraband items
Recruit forensic investigators, auditors, lawyers, and other professionals to pursue white collar crime

SOCIAL AND EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PROGRAMMES

Improvement of the prison facilities and introduce new programmes to improve literacy, training, education of incarcerated individuals
Assistance to the Police Service to establish its own hospital facility for its members
Expansion of the Military-Led Academic Training and Civilian Conservation Corps Programmes
Greater outreach and cooperation between the Police Service and at-risk communities
Re-introduction of youth camps.
Expansion of Youth Clubs under the Protective Services and Defence Force to reach out and assist and mentor at-risk youth
Expansion of the CURE VIOLENCE programme and intervention programmes
Facilitation of the provision of a health insurance plan for the Protective Services
Assistance to members of the protective services with easier access to housing