00:00Tobago needs to be included. We are a marine state, an oceanic state, meaning that we have a lot more
00:08maritime space than we have terrestrial space. That means that we have a particular challenge with security occasionally.
00:18The chief secretary, Fali Augustin, said he does not see the need for districts in Tobago to be locked down
00:25very often under the special operations bill.
00:29I don't see it being needed in Tobago very often because our levels of criminality continue to be low. The
00:38only thing we are experiencing now might be sort of a spate in rubberies, but we have certainly reversed the
00:47trends that we saw in 2023, 2024, which is a good thing.
00:51Mr. Augustin said the operationalization of the special operations bill would not be practical without consultation with the chief secretary.
01:01It means that we have at our arsenal an opportunity, if things become extremely extreme, in other words, that we
01:11can respond aggressively.
01:14It also means that we, as an island, we have an opportunity to ensure that whenever there is a need,
01:24that the Tobago House of Assembly through chief secretary is consulted, and that fitted heavily in the debates in the
01:31parliament.
01:32He says he does not see the special operations bill affecting Tobago's tourism thrust. Instead, he said, crime is the
01:40major challenge.
01:41I don't think so. I think our tourism sector actually has other issues that it needs to rectify. We need
01:52to fix our hotel rooms and the accommodation sector.
01:54We need to ensure we improve our game when it comes to customer service. We have to spend more in
02:04marketing Tobago outside of Tobago. And we have to get direct flights. So those who are no Zozo, unless those
02:12things happen, we won't see the increasing numbers that we want to see.
02:17Elizabeth Williams, TV6 News.
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