THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine has welcomed Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s commitment to consult his office before authorising policing operations under the proposed Special Operations Bill in Tobago.
The Bill grants security forces enhanced powers to conduct operations, searches and other measures within declared special operations zones, while establishing procedures and safeguards governing those powers.
The Chief Secretary explained that although Tobago was identified as one of the seven districts covered under the legislation, it does not mean that the entire island would be on lockdown.
“Within the single district that is Tobago, from time to time, based on if there is an actual need. Right now there is no need in Tobago, but if there is an actual need, that we can cordon off an area, we can lock off a zone within the district and say, ‘Aye, things rough in this area, let we kind of lock off the zone until things cool down.'”
However, before authorisation can be provided for an area to be locked down, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar assured that the Chief Secretary would be consulted – a decision that was welcomed by Mr Augustine.
“There is no way they could lock down Tobago without getting the support of the Tobago House of Assembly and that gives Tobago a sort of a buffer in terms of ensuring that it is not done willy-nilly and that it is done with the strictest of advice.”
With some stakeholders expressing concern about the impact the proposed legislation may have on the island, the Chief Secretary maintains that his primary concern is not the measure itself but the effect crime has on Tobago’s tourism industry. He contends that criminal activity poses one of the biggest barriers to effectively marketing the island to visitors.
“We have a serious international PR and marketing issue where crime is concerned and if we are able to reverse the crime statistics, then we could sell Tobago and sell Trinidad more.”
Meanwhile, Mr Augustine acknowledged that crime-fighting strategies, like the State of Emergency and the Special Operations Bill, have become necessary to gain control of the spiralling crime situation.
“I would be honest, I am not a fan of State of Emergencies. But when we look at the numbers, if we were clocking 600-plus murders, and now I am over 200, it is hard to deny that something worked, why the numbers reduced.”
The Chief Secretary said families, communities and social institutions must play a stronger role in preventing people from being drawn into a life of crime, thereby lessening the need for stringent law enforcement interventions.