Fifty-one new police vehicles, including 26 electric units, were handed over to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service on Monday.
This comes as the TTPS launched its Active Directed Patrol Initiative, aimed at strengthening public safety and improving operational effectiveness nationwide.
The National Operations Fusion Centre, officially commissioned in December, is now at the core of a new policing strategy designed to modernise how officers patrol and respond in real time.
On Monday, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service formally launched the Active Directed Patrol Initiative, a data-driven approach that brings multiple police units together under a single, coordinated system.
Former Acting Commissioner of Police, McDonald Jacob, explained that the Fusion Centre will operate as a central command hub, using advanced technologies to detect, monitor and respond to criminal activity.
“We have tools like facial and vehicle recognition, CCTV surveillance systems, wanted and suspected persons monitoring, GPS monitoring. That means to say that the entire GPS system in the police vehicles throughout the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service could be accommodated there.”
Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro stressed that the initiative moves beyond theory to real-world application.
“This is a practical, data-anchored strategy designed to direct our limited resources with precision, ensuring that police presence and police response are placed exactly where they are needed the most.”
Commissioner Guevarro noted that the initiative is the first of its kind in the Caribbean and Latin America.
“The Active Directed Grid Patrol Initiative is the latest in a series of strategic policy directives aimed at bringing modern policing to Trinidad and Tobago, and today we add another historic milestone. For the first time in the Caribbean and Latin America, a police department is launching a pilot project to integrate electric vehicles into its patrol regime.”
As part of the initiative, 51 new police vehicles were formally handed over to the TTPS, including 26 electric units.
Attorney General John Jeremie underscored the importance of mobility within the Service, warning that limited police presence undermines public confidence.
“It leaves communities feeling vulnerable. It creates the dangerous perception that law-abiding citizens are on their own, while the criminal elements believe they can act boldly and escape interdiction. If criminals believe that the State cannot respond, disorder grows.”
Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander said the roll-out represents long-overdue progress in policing.
“But listen, better late than never, better late than never. We are ready and the police service is taking it to the next level. And I, listen, a Commissioner of Police who’s not about talk, about action, what else you can ask for? The Government of Trinidad and Tobago intends to, continue to, resource the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.”