A report in the Sunday Guardian says a new 250-member crime unit goes to work in Trinidad & Tobago Monday.But don't expect a dramatic increase in police visibility. That's because the officers on bikes and foot patrol and motorcycles will be casually dressed in civilian clothes.
The report says the members of the new crime-busting unit were trained over a two-week period as part of a multi-million-dollar strategy aimed at reducing robberies, murders and other violent and serious crimes.
The unit will be under the direct command of acting Police Commissioner James Philbert.
The aim of the authorities is for the police to "blend-in" looking for any lawbreaker from litterbugs and illegal vendors to gun-runners and murderers. The unit will also be watching for traffic violaters, hoping to cut down on road accidents.
The members of this hand-picked team will operate in small units and will be based in Chaguanas. Authorities say they'll have the most modern equipment and technology at their disposal and their work will bring about a 10 per cent reduction in crime.
Senior officers have told the Guardian the new unit would further deplete the strength at the various police stations. One officer told the paper the major problem that the police service faces is that it has too many special units that are “doing very little” for all the money invested in them.
“That is where the problem comes in. Every time things get out of control, you are hearing about a new unit. I think they should disband all the units and augment the strength at various stations, so the work could be done much more effectively,” the lawman told the paper on condition of anonymity.
There are nearly 30 special units in the Trinidad & Tobago police service.
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