Political Scientist Professor Hamid Ghany says the Government’s plan to establish 30 joint army police posts across the country appears to be its most recent strategy for replacing the current State of Emergency.
Speaking on Trinidad and Tobago Today, Professor Ghany said he believes the Government will allow the State of Emergency to end, with the new joint army police posts helping to maintain a visible security presence in communities.
He also stressed that data will show whether the initiative yields positive benefits for the country.
“I don’t get the impression that the government wants to continue with another State of Emergency so I think that they are putting this in place as a response to try to sustain some of the gains that they have made in the State of Emergency… Results will tell us exactly where these initiatives are going. So I don’t suspect another emergency is over the horizon. I suspect that these initiatives are going to be ramped up in the post-emergency period.”
The Political Scientist pointed to available data, saying it would provide quantitative evidence to support the strategy’s effectiveness.
“The police provide all these divisional reports about crime statistics in their various divisions, and I think that we are going to have to see what kind of reports the police are going to provide for us in terms of how the system is working, this proposed initiative.”
Professor Ghany noted that crime is being tackled on multiple fronts, with authorities combining security measures, law enforcement initiatives and community-based interventions.
“We are going to have to depend on the data to see what’s going on with regard to this. And, I think, that the crime is obviously being fought on a number of fronts: the issue of drug lord manipulation and drug operations and collaboration with the United States government, which has been another source of criticism. The government made a policy decision that it would support initiatives by the United States as a means of trying to deal with the international drug problem.”
Professor Ghany said the joint police and army patrol initiative is being welcomed by communities across the country.