PP government committed to 50% reduction in serious crime by 2015

The government of Trinidad & Tobago expects that it would reduce serious crime in the country by 50 per cent over the next three years.

Finance Minister Larry Howai made that projection Monday when he presented the budget in the House of Representatives. He allocated $5.5 billion in the budget to the Ministry of National Security to combat crime and said the focus would be on:

• law enforcement
• social intervention strategies, including the Hoope for Life project
• strong enforcement

Howai said the crime fighting initiatives would include installation of GPS systems in police vehicles, buying additional vehicles, building new police stations, equipping stations with modern IT facilities, more joint patrols in crime prone areas and introducing a highway patrol.

"Police vehicles are now being equipped with GPS technology. 75 police charge rooms are currently being computerised. Video conferencing is now being made available and evidence-based policing using scientific methods for solving crime is being strengthened. 

"We will be re-introducing dedicated police highway patrols and establishing 32 Community Police Units in key areas to increase police presence in high risk areas. We shall establish fixed joint service units in hot spot areas, a strategy that is already producing results as we have recently seen. There has not been a single murder in Laventille for 22 days."

He also announced that as an incentive for law enforcement personnel, all Special Reserve Police (SRP) would begin receiving the tax free allowance of $1,000 a month now paid to other members of the protective services, beginning immediately.

Improvements in national security would also involve an overall improvement on the infrastructure for the criminal justice system.