The first of four coastal patrol vessels, intended to help in protecting this country’s vulnerable borders, will arrive on local shores today, National Security Minister Brigadier General Carl Alfonso (retired) has said.
In a T&T Guardian interview over the weekend, he said the addition of this single vessel to the assets of the nation’s security arsenal at this time was sure to boast confidence among citizens, as well as their all-round sense of safety and security as Government concentrates its fight against crime. The vessel arriving today will be manned by T&T Coast Guard officers and so will be fully mounted with guns.
The two utility vessels which arrived here earlier this year from Holland had a civilian crew and thus could not be mounted with guns en route to T&T. However, Alfonso said those vessels would soon be fitted with the guns as Government had completed the contractual arrangements.
Speaking of the vessel arriving today, Alfonso said, “It’s a small battleship. You have three more to come after that, so you have four fighting mini battleships and you have the utility vessels with weapons and you will have the six interceptors, which are the fast boats.
“Those holes in the borders are going to be plugged. We may not be able to catch everybody, every time, but it is certainly going to enhance our capability. I am happy that is happening.” Asked about the installation of a comprehensive radar monitoring system, the minister said this country already had an operational radar system and what would matter now would be operationalising the vessels.
“But the radar system is in place and that too will be enhanced over time. Everything is not going to happen at the same time. These things cost a lot of money,” he said. “You keep hearing about the armoured personnel carriers, which is what some military people call a battle field taxi, which takes you from point A to B protected, so you can go into any hotspot.
“You can’t go right now in a Land Rover truck because they can shoot through that. In these armoured personnel carriers, you’re protected. You take your men onto the spot and they do whatever they have to do.” Alfonso said while Government was putting things in place slowly, they were committed to doing it.
“As we go on we will find that the populace should feel a sense of protection and comfort. I am beginning to feel it, because I know the capabilities of those vessels and those aircrafts (helicopters) and of those armoured personnel carriers. So we are going to be smiling at some stage.”