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  • 1 year ago
Government has dedicated more resources to battle the scourge of crime in this country.

Some of the government's major initiatives under the Ministry of National Security were announced by Minister of Finance Colm Imbert during his budget presentation.

Mark Bassant has the story.
Transcript
00:00Crime and criminality continues to be a major thorn in the government's side.
00:04Faced with a mounting homicide rate nearing 500 for the year already, with
00:08guns accounted for a huge percentage of these homicides, Finance Minister
00:13Colm Imbert gave the assurance that the government was doing all in its power to
00:17continue its relentless fight against reducing all forms of crime. The ministry
00:22will focus on the following areas among others in its mission to reduce crime
00:26and criminality in Trinidad and Tobago. Enhanced border control and protection.
00:32Immigration. Social programs aimed at reducing criminal gang violence.
00:39Expansion of rehabilitation programs within the Trinidad and Tobago Prison
00:44Service aimed at reducing recidivism. Enhanced cyber security. Expansion of the
00:51electronic monitoring program and establishment of a national forensic
00:56DNA data bank. With respect to the Defense Force, in an ongoing effort to
01:03combat the illicit trafficking of guns, drugs and ammunition into Trinidad and
01:09Tobago, the Ministry of National Security continues to implement security
01:13measures committed to combating transnational crime. The minister
01:19acknowledged that to battle transatlantic crime, partnerships with
01:23regional and international partners will be crucial as we move to securing our
01:27borders. He said the government was moving to purchase four patrol launches
01:31and eight high-speed interceptors for the Coast Guard, already stricken with
01:35several non-functioning vessels and drones will also be purchased. Of
01:39critical importance is upgrades to immigration, which the minister pointed
01:43out could play a crucial role in detecting wanted criminals trying to
01:47enter Trinidad, as well as human trafficking and drug smuggling.
01:51Immigration will act as a bulwark for would-be criminals as a new system will
01:56be rolled out for travelers, Imbed said. An automated fingerprint identification
02:01system. In fiscal 2025, the Immigration Division will commence work on an
02:08automated fingerprint identification system to strengthen border management
02:13and improve national security. The upgrade aims to facilitate faster and
02:18more accurate fingerprint matching, allowing for the real-time monitoring of
02:24travelers and enhancing response times to potential threats. Imbed said for this
02:29system to take effect, there will be amendments needed in the legislation
02:33with the support of the opposition critical. He said they will also be
02:37rolling out e-passports and also spoke about the importance of the Forensic
02:41Science Center to be built that will allow this country to now have access to
02:45advanced forensic and pathology services with greater technical capabilities in
02:50assisting with evidence gathered at crime scenes. Apart from new cyber
02:55legislation to be introduced, Imbed said the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service
02:58will be provided with an additional 2,000 vehicles over the next two years
03:03with 500 expected in the first phase early next year. Mark Basant, TV6 News.
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