Panday says PP gov't's crime plan working

Subhas Panday told reporters on Thursday the government of Trinidad and Tobago now has the "intelligence" data to deal with the spike in crime, which he said has been caused mainly by gang rivalry over then drug trade.

"The spike was the result of certain illegal activities pertaining to drugs," he said at the post-Cabinet news conference.

He did not give any additional information relating to intelligence gathering, noting it was a matter of national security. However he gave the assurance that Government would guarantee the privacy of citizens.

The minister in the national security ministry also stated that there is a marked increase in the police presence everywhere as part of the government's crime fighting plan.

"It is hoped that when persons see the high number of policemen and Regiment officers, it would be a deterrent to crime," he said.

He said Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar devised her crime plan while she was Opposition Leader based on the work she had been doing for a number of years.

"She has taken all the work we did in Opposition and modified it with the assistance of other ministries and technical persons," he explained.

Panday also said his ministry has identified 22 crime hot spot areas and has sent social workers to go in and try and guide people away from crime.