00:00Boots on the ground in Enterprise Chagonas in the height of the midday heat.
00:08The manpower came from the Central Division, the National Operations Task Force, the Community
00:13Police supported by the regiment.
00:17It comes following the launch of the Confidence patrol last week in South Trinidad under the
00:22ACP for South Central, encompassing the Southern, Central and Southwestern Divisions.
00:29Assistant Commissioner of Police in South Central, Wayne Meister, notes that the plan
00:34is to take the Confidence patrol to a new area weekly.
00:37It's basically to inspire confidence to members of the public, to the business community and
00:44today we'll be focusing more on the Enterprise area, so that particular area needs to get
00:49some attention and that is what we're going to do today.
00:52Any specific things that you're focusing on, you said it needs some attention, just tell
00:58us in terms of what?
00:59What are some of the issues?
01:00Yes, of course, you know, in the height of the Christmas season too, we'll be giving
01:04out a lot of safety tips.
01:06Safety tips will encompass a lot of different things from the issues of extortion, the issues
01:12of safety for women, the issues of safety for children and so on and you know, as I
01:19say, just generally to meet with members of the public, meet with the business community,
01:23have a conversation with them.
01:24Sometimes, you know, we get a lot of good information when we operate on the ground
01:28with the members of the community.
01:30A major problem facing Shogun's businessmen is extortion and Meister says it is important
01:35that these matters are reported for them to be addressed.
01:39The first step is to come forward, alright, you can do that anonymously and you can come
01:44forward and you must make that report initially, alright.
01:48It's only that we will have an idea of what's taking place and of course, ACP Richard Smith
01:52and that particular team, once we have that report is being made, they are going to launch
01:57investigations and we're going to deal with it.
01:59Acting ASP Cylindra Singh of the Central Division says the Confidence Patrol was focused on
02:05residents, commercial residents and business areas.
02:09We will concentrate our efforts really on the main road, Southern Main Road and we may
02:14spill up onto subsidiary roads.
02:17This effort is, as Mr. Meister has identified, is one in which we want to bring collaboration
02:23and make that connection with members of the public.
02:26Meister tells us it is part of the new crime plan, which he is unable to divulge too much of.
02:32What they expect to see is a heightened presence of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service
02:37and the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force.
02:39We have the mantra, if you see something, say something and those brochures that we
02:42have given out, they have the various emergency numbers where police has got a call and definitely
02:48you're going to see a high presence of police officers and Defence Force personnel within
02:52these zones and it's not just going to stop at Christmas time, it's going to continue
02:56throughout the carnival period and I mean, it's just going to continue.
03:00As part of his gear on this operation, Meister was equipped with a body camera.
03:05Asked if it is something the public can expect to see more of on police officers, Meister
03:11has this to say.
03:13Yes, definitely.
03:14This is a mandate by the Commission of Police.
03:16It is mandatory that once personnel, the body cams have been issued and you expect to see
03:22a lot of police officers wearing the body cam.
03:25We are on the ground, so we lead by example.
03:27So you're definitely going to see a lot of persons with the body cameras.
03:30The Confidence Patrol also visited a school during the walkabout.
03:34The police is here and no one is here.
03:38Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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