00:00Speaking on the morning edition, the former head of the NOC says the bill, which addresses, among other things,
00:07transnational crime, terrorism and border management, represents a significant step toward improving Trinidad and Tobago's security architecture.
00:17However, he stresses that legislation alone is not enough, noting that strong enforcement mechanisms will determine the effectiveness of the
00:26proposed measures.
00:27Hira also highlights provisions within the bill supporting information sharing between this country, the U.S., the United Kingdom and
00:36CARICOM partners,
00:37describing regional cooperation as critical in confronting increasingly sophisticated criminal networks.
00:44That CARICOM exchange with Trinidad and Tobago has been a little too negative over the last couple of months.
00:50Let's look at introducing some positivity here and see how we can use the model that we are perfecting in
00:56country as a working model across the region.
00:58So we will not become dependent on U.S., Europe, some of the other Big Brother players on dictating how
01:08we manage and control our borders.
01:10But we will have a certain amount of command and control, and we will be able to share information with
01:15them that is standardized and that operationalizes the intelligence and the data.
01:20At the same time, he warns that policymakers must remain ahead of evolving criminal strategies as transnational actors continue to
01:29adapt and coordinate across borders.
01:32So therefore, if we strengthen that sort of airport traffic as being articulated in the bill, trust me, they are
01:42going to look at new entry points.
01:44They are going to look at new areas and strategies in order to breach what you are putting up.
01:49So therefore, you have to be ahead of the game, you meaning the state.
01:52He further cautions that the framework must include safeguards to prevent corruption and the compromising of security agencies and officials
02:02if it is to achieve its intended impact.
02:05The counterintelligence to ensure that transnational organized crime and its players have not influenced facilitation that is leading towards corruption
02:16and rogue officers in order to get their business done.
02:19And therefore, we have to pay specific attention to that.
02:23Nicole M. Romani, TV6 News.
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