00:00The Trinidad and Tobago Promoters Association is forecasting a bumper
00:04carnival to Gate 25 with close to 400 events scheduled in spite of the state
00:10of emergency. So far we see no negative effects from the state of emergency
00:16because I know that's a big question on everybody's mind. We're grateful that the
00:20decision was taken to preserve economic activity and that's very important for
00:24everybody in the country so we're grateful for that. So far so good and we
00:28continue to do what we need to do to make sure that our patrons are safe.
00:32However the Promoters Association says it will be meeting with the top cop next
00:36week with a view to addressing some long-standing issues as it relates to
00:41licenses and security. Policy change is necessary, legislative change is
00:45necessary so that we can treat with the issues of how the police interact with
00:51the events, how the fire services interact with the events, the EMA. Those
00:56things still remain very much at top of mind but we recognize now that the only
01:01way to treat with them is to treat with them from an overarching policy
01:04standpoint. Trying to go to all of the individual you know stakeholders doesn't
01:09seem to be getting the job done. We do have a meeting with Police Commissioner
01:13Eula Christopher next week and we are grateful for that because it is
01:16important that we are on the same page. Meantime the Carnival Bands Association
01:21is also reporting zero impact from the SOE. TTCBA tells TV6 several mass bands
01:27are already sold out. Registration began on Monday and we have seen so far a lot
01:34of our bands, juniors and seniors collecting registration forms and they
01:39are all ready to participate. What we can say is that we are well prepared for all
01:46the competitions. All the relevant stakeholders are preparing their required
01:51parts and as it pertains to the security, the TTPS is there to do their job and
01:57they will continue to do their job and they are doing a fine job. So we expect
02:03that it will be a great Carnival. Is security mandatory for bands who are
02:07registering to play on the road? Security is not mandatory however as responsible
02:14band leaders, we all will do our part to ensure that our bands are secured. But at
02:20least one juve band has opted out of the celebrations this year citing crime as a
02:25concern. In a post to its Facebook page, Limus Crew Juve Band says due to the
02:30crime rate and the SOE, it has made the decision to stay out of the juve
02:35celebrations this year. Limus Crew says it values its masqueraders safety and
02:41do not wish to expose anyone to any unease, threat or harm.
02:46Renessa Cutting, TV6 News.
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