T&T’s borders remain open to trans-Atlantic drug traffickers, gun-runners and smugglers despite the allocation of funds by Cabinet to fund at least 21 crime-fighting initiatives which remain on hold.
These include Coast Guard installations, radars, unmanned aerial vehicles, armoured personnel vehicles and an emergency warning system in the event of nationwide panic and looting.
Confidential documents obtained by the T&T Guardian showed that 21 out of 35 critical crime initiatives remain on hold because of delays from the Ministry’s procurement and finance divisions.
The documents show that last November, approval was granted for a critical audit of the K-9 Unit in the Police Service.
“The audit cost less than a million and it has not been touched yet. This was critical to ensuring that we have sniffer dogs in airports and roadblocks,” a senior security official said. Prior to the announcement of the audit, police officers were accused of selling the canine dogs.
The official also said in February, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and his company were contracted to do an overhaul of law enforcement to improve detection rate, intelligence gathering, improved performance of policing and crime scene investigation.
“That has not been touched either. The process was to extract the allocated funds and send it to Giuliani, yet this has not been done,” the source said.
In another initiative, Bill Bratton’s company Harnett was also contacted to do a police audit since March 2014.
“The Hovercraft was approved in May and that too has not been touched. It involved the use of specialised equipment for the T&T Regiment for the movement of troops and equipment around the west and southern coastline of the island,” the source added.
The armoured personnel carriers were also approved in Cabinet since March to provide necessary protection for elected heads of government and visiting diplomats has also been on hold.
“Attempts to hire New Century, a United Kingdom firm to train T&T’s counter-terrorist unit has also been stalled along with the IR Consilium, a United Kingdom firm, which was contacted to deal with security policies to secure oil and natural gas facilities,” the source added.
Among the 35 national security initiatives were standardised customer service and public relations training for the protective services which was approved by Cabinet since February 6.
Radar upgrade proposals for a complete surveillance system for Galeota site and electro optics for day and night, as well as maintenance of the 360 degree radar system was approved over a year but has not been implemented.
Griffith responds
Asked about the stalled crime-fighting initiatives, Griffith confirmed that was hampering the crime fight.
He added: “It is indeed unfortunate, especially when projects of a more elaborate nature were approved previously within days.
“Several of these policies, which were approved by Cabinet several months ago, with funds being made available, are still somewhere in the ministry awaiting commencement.
“When I ask about these projects, all I am being told is there is a process to follow.
“The process, which is yet to be explained, is unfortunately stalling many critical initiatives that would play a major part in crime reduction.
“Whereas one can fully understand a system to ensure proper accountability and transparency but to state that after several months, after acquiring state approved projects and funds being made available yet none of the projects have been anywhere near commencement because of the process, something is definitely wrong.”