Chief Secretary Farley Augustine says the Tobago House of Assembly has no objection to the establishment of police posts as an additional measure in communities where crime is a major issue.
Speaking to the media, Mr Augustine welcomed plans to introduce police posts in communities around the country as one of the latest crime-fighting measures introduced by the Government.
He stated that the concept is not a new one, noting that this tool was used in Tobago recently, resulting in a decrease in criminal activity.
“People perhaps don’t even realise that at this very moment, a police post was established at the Community Centre in Golden Lane. Remember when we had all those issues where it was Christmas and people’s car being torched with fire and attempted murders and so on in Golden Lane? We set up a police post in the community as a way of providing a response.”
Mr Augustine stated that the THA was already considering utilising this initiative before Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced the national crime-fighting measure.
“We also started preparing a spot close to Gibson Jetty for that same thing, to treat what we see happening in the marine park and to ensure we have Coast Guard and police working jointly to treat with some activities that we see in that area.”
While no police posts are yet confirmed for Tobago within this initiative, Mr Augustine stated the conversation about what is best for the island continues.
“There are no objections in that regard, certainly not from my office or from the THA, and it is something we would be discussing with national security as we fine-tune where we would want them because we would need to be strategic about their placement.”