PM Kamla to launch Rapid Response Unit to fight crime

PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar will on Tuesday officially launch the new Rapid Response Unit (RRU) of the Police Service at Knowsley Building, Queen's Park East, at 1.30 pm.

The RRU is a new crime-fighting law enforcement team geared towards a more timely and effective response to citizens’ needs. It began operations on 01 December 2013 in Trinidad and will be fully operational in Tobago by March 2014.

It co-operates with the Community Comfort Patrol (CCP), a unit operated by Private Security Officers under the authority of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, within the architecture of the Private Security Network. Both units operate around the clock in all communities in the country.

The Rapid Response Unit is based on the fundamental concept of police patrol. It will provide:

• Immediate availability to respond to emergencies
• Reasonable response times even to non-emergencies
• Some level of visibility to afford a general feeling of security

To ensure that the RRU is able to fulfill its mandate, the government has provided it with the following:

• An effectively managed and properly equipped fleet of patrol vehicles
• Specially selected personnel to staff the Unit
• Highly trained and dedicated cadre of patrol officers
• Evidence-based and intelligence-driven allocation and deployment of
• patrol units
• Standard response times in keeping with international best practices
• Utilization of GPS technology to facilitate computer-aided dispatch
• (CAD) and automatic vehicle locator (AVL)