"Action Jack" tackles National Security as Sandy gets diplomatic job

"Action Man" Jack with PM Kamla 

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and her team campaigned to fight crime and they have have some major successes. However she said Friday she wanted to get more aggressive on the crime fighting agenda so she decided to bring in a "man of action" to replace John Sandy, who is going to take up a diplomatic posting.

"Mr Warner is a man of action, and I believe Brigadier Sandy did an excellent job; in fact, the crime rates have dropped when you compare them to past crime rates. Mr Sandy has done an excellent job and, indeed, I have asked him to serve at a diplomatic posting which he has accepted. We will work the details of it, so I want to thank him for his service. He was a dedicated soldier, really served the Government well," Persad-Bissessar said.

"This time again, our priority is on crime; it is my respectful view that Mr Warner is a person of action, and he will be very useful in the Ministry of National Security and, indeed, as I said, I listened to many persons in coming to conclusions in making decisions, and so based on conversations I had with various persons, both against the Government and for the Government, we were able to ask Mr Warner to serve in that position," she added.

Warner thanked Sandy for his service, saying he would rely on him heavily for advice. "I have been asked to do a job which possibly has not been fully done before, so I will hit the ground running and give my best shot, and I am quite sure with the collective support of the Cabinet and the Government, I will succeed," he said.

Warner said he believes the Works and Infrastructure Ministry was left in "good hands" with Emmanuel George, and he has no worry that the works he started would continue.