00:00Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley as the head of the government and as the chairman of the
00:04National Security Council had a message for the public about the state of emergency as
00:09he pointed out that the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service has 8,000 officers.
00:15It is mathematically and logistically impossible for 8,000 officers to close, close mark 1.3
00:23million people to be there at the time when a criminal challenges you.
00:27So to say the police should, they're not magicians.
00:31They work hard as they should, they would need help in the form of information and cooperation
00:37and if rogue officers destroy that trust as they have been doing, then it makes the work
00:46of the police officers harder and it even puts their lives at risk.
00:52So do not tolerate rogue officers in the ranks.
00:55The state of emergency, according to the government, allows for searches without warrant
01:00with the goals of tackling criminal gang activity and an increase in the seizure of illegal
01:06guns and ammunition.
01:07The same way you are asking people to say something and do it with security of handing
01:14over the information, you should be able to do that within the police service about your
01:19colleagues and help us to clean up the police service so that in situations like these,
01:24the public wouldn't have that overriding concern, that giving police this power.
01:30And not only the police, the state of emergency has added a large number of other state personnel
01:39to that fight.
01:40The Prime Minister also had a direct message for Trinidad and Tobago's military personnel
01:44on Friday as he spoke about the powers granted to them under the state of emergency now in
01:50effect early in 2025.
01:53The defense force personnel are now to act with the powers of police officers.
01:59Whereas before, they would go on a patrol and they would have one police officer with
02:05the patrol to ensure that the law is covered, but the soldiers were not police officers.
02:12The state of emergency gives that power for intervention because we deem it necessary
02:19at this time.
02:20It is temporary.
02:21The Prime Minister also defended the government's decision not to include a curfew or a ban
02:26on public gatherings during the state of emergency.
02:29As he said, the nation's economy was taken into consideration.
02:34Jule Brown, TV6 News.
Comments