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  • 2 days ago
The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) said its new mobile police units were intended to give officers greater operational capacity without permanently tying them to particular locations, as it defended the initiative amid criticism of the Government's plan to establish 30 joint army-police posts.
The TTPS said mobile police units were not a new concept and had been used by the Police Service for several years.
Transcript
00:00The TTPS said the decision to procure what it described as micro-police units was part of improvements made to
00:07existing mobile units
00:08and was in keeping with the government's strategic direction for law enforcement.
00:13According to a statement from the TTPS, the units could be moved throughout the country with only minimal foundation reconstruction.
00:21It said the new generation of units could accommodate more officers and advanced technology than the older units,
00:28although it declined to disclose details which it considered operationally sensitive.
00:34The TTPS said locations for the units would be determined using data from its Crime and Problem Analysis Branch
00:40with deployment intended to reflect crime trends rather than being solely based on geographic considerations.
00:48The units are expected to be used for community engagement and rapid responses to local issues,
00:55major incident planning and coordination, as well as forward operating bases for specialized operations.
01:03They could also serve as on-the-ground command centers during emergencies
01:08and provide support for tactical deployments and crime suppression initiatives.
01:13Commissioner of Police Alistair Guevaro has acknowledged the criticism that followed the announcement this week
01:19but rejected suggestions that the TTPS should be deterred by it.
01:24He said, quote,
01:26It is passing strange that individuals who claim to possess security expertise fail to grasp such a basic concept,
01:33choosing instead to dismiss any and all initiatives introduced by law enforcement, end quote.
01:39The commissioner said the mobile units represented another step towards developing a modern police service,
01:46capable of responding to changing security demands.
01:49The TTPS said the units would therefore form part of its current anti-crime strategy
01:54with their deployments guided by crime analysis and operational requirements.
02:00Alexander Broussoul, TV6 News.
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