Congress of the People (COP) leader Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan is calling on the Government to reveal details of the Terms of Agreement (TOA) on the Dragon gas contract signed by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and the Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro.

Seepersad-Bachan said yesterday that while the Government may not be able to publicly state the agreed price for gas produced from the Dragon field, it ought to provide details on the pricing formula and other emerging issues related to the project.

The first gas from the Dragon field is expected to get to this country by late 2020 or early 2021, according to Energy Minister Franklin Khan. The agreement is for 150 million cubic feet of gas per day in the first phase, which will be used for the LNG and the petrochemical sectors.

In a release yesterday, Seepersad-Bachan said, “In the case of LNG, the price at the well-head is determined based on the netback pricing formula and in the case of the petrochemical sector, NGC’s resale prices are linked to international commodity prices. If the same approach is not applied to the pricing of the Dragon gas the NGC is at risk of its sale price being lower than its cost price, thus incurring huge losses.”

It has been reported that a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) was created and an agreement signed in March 2017 by Shell, NGC and PDVSA for the construction of a 30km gas pipeline, pumping stations, metering systems and installation of safety and control systems at a total cost of US$100 million.

Seepersad-Bachan said the Government needs to give the country the details.

“What is the percentage holding of NGC in this SPV, as this will dictate capital investment required for this project? Additionally, at what point does fiscalisation occur? Is it the intention for NGC to take ownership from the well-head and pay a fee for the transportation of gas via this infrastructure?”

She accused Khan of “erroneously” likening the project to the Loran Manatee cross-border field in which Trinidad and Tobago owns 2.7 tcf, which was unitised by signed agreement in August 2010 to facilitate a joint operator. But she said, “On the contrary, the Dragon gas field is located across the border and therefore this project involves the sale of Venezuelan gas.”

Seepersad-Bachan also wants to know, given the current state of affairs in Venezuela, whether the Government had taken into consideration the geopolitical risks which significantly impact on the viability and reliability of this project.

“What assurances are there that future governments will honour this agreement to supply gas at the agreed pricing?” she asked.

In such an event, she said the NGC and by extension, the citizens of this country will bear the full cost of lost revenue for ALNG and downstream petrochemical companies.

In addition, she said,“The literature is replete with examples of expropriation of assets in the Venezuelan energy sector. This places the US100 million dollar investment at risk should such an event occur.”

As a result, she said the Government and the NGC must openly indicate to the citizenry how they intend to mitigate these risks.

“Answers to these questions will clearly indicate whether this is a theoretical dream or an implementable reality,” she said. - Rosemarie Sant

Energy expert Anthony Paul believes that the whole governance of Petrotrin needs to be addressed.

“It has had poor management, poor leadership, poor oversight, the Ministries of Energy and Finance have failed and are failing this country and they are not being called to account,” Paul told the T&T Guardian yesterday ahead of today’s crucial meeting between Petrotrin and the three unions representing various categories of workers.

But although he admits that Petrotrin’s financial position is dire, he said the company has enough assets to improve its position.

Paul said the management teams at Petrotrin “have been very weak and that is why Petrotrin is where it is. At this moment I don’t hear anybody talking about plans to fix those on a sustainable basis.”

He admitted that the company’s financial position is dire.

“Make no mistake about that, the company has managed its assets badly, they have to bring the assets to a point where they can clean up their financials, but that requires good management and good science, neither of which they have in place at the moment.”

Paul said from the conversation in the public domain, the key issue being addressed is “Petrotrin’s financial status, which includes the employee count. It’s about cutting costs, changing the debt structure, borrowing or something like that. That is what you will hear.”

What is not being addressed, he said, are Petrotrin’s assets, which he said can be improved and get a higher equity value.

“What I would like to hear is how are we going to improve production. How are we going to increase and strengthen Petrotrin’s balance sheets which could come out of the reserves which they have underground? That comes from exploration and or the development of discovered reserves and making them workable. So the technical piece is what is missing to me,” he said.

He said Petrotrin had not done a good job at exploring and monetising the resources and converting them from under the ground.

He said in restructuring the company, “people will take credit for doing some ‘big things’ but the question needs to be asked what will Petrotrin look like 3-5 years from now and I bet you they have not thought about that.”

Paul said Government also needs to tell the country the true state of the Petrotrin debt.

On Sunday, Energy Minister Franklin Khan said if the situation at Petrotrin is not handled properly it could bankrupt the country.

But Paul said the country needed to be told what is the level of the Petrotrin debt as against the national debt and how Petrotrin’s debt added to the national debt would affect the country’s debt to GDP ratio and whether it would actually put the country in bankruptcy.

He said Petrotrin was also in a position where it pays a 55 per cent tax on its refinery profits, which was more than other companies pay.

“Why should a refinery which has more value than the new plants pay a higher tax rate? That’s a legacy put in place to deal with Texaco 25 years ago. Why hasn’t that been dealt with?” he asked.

Khan told the media on Sunday that Petrotrin owes the state $3.5 billion in outstanding taxes and royalty.

Paul also said he believes that the “assets and the company’s story are not being properly told,” but from what he understands “it can be saved.”

By the end of today the country will be clearer on the future of the state oil company Petrotrin.

Today is D-Day for Petrotrin as the company meets separately with the Oilfields Workers Trade Union (OWTU) which represents the majority of workers, the National Petroleum Staff Association and the Estate Police Association on the plan for the future of the state company.

Yesterday, company officials and Energy Minister Franklyn Khan remained mum on what the restructuring will entail, but union officials expressed concern that workers will be sent home. On Sunday, Energy Minister Franklyn Khan under whose portfolio Petrotrin falls, told the media that today’s discussions are “significant,” because “for the first time we will lay bare what our plans are.”

Yesterday Khan declined further comment on the planned restructuring but he ruled out disposal of the assets saying: “Petrotrin does not belong to the PNM Cabinet, it belongs to the people of Trinidad and Tobago and for the time being we operate in trust for the people. We will not flippantly dispose of the assets of the people of Trinidad and Tobago,” Khan said.

The plan to be revealed by the company follows months of discussions and international expert analysis which examined what Khan described as “the quagmire that is Petrotrin,” including its finances, performance, debt and its benchmarking which Khan described as being at the “bottom of the fourth quartile.”

Khan said the plan which had been “formulated and accepted on the future of Petrotrin,” will be articulated to the unions today. It is only after those meetings that the national community will be informed of what had been decided upon.

He did not want to prejudge what will happen after the Company meets the OWTU but contingency plans are being put in place in the event of any action by the workers led by the OWTU.

Khan said “this country is ruled by law and order. Any action deemed illegal will obviously have to be dealt with.”

In a situation like this he said “contingency plans will have to be put in place,” but he declined to say what those are, “let us wait and see I don’t want to prejudge what will happen, let’s wait and see,” Khan said.

Khan reiterated his call for “maturity, pragmatism and nationalism,” saying this is about the “national interest.

Last evening officials of the OWTU met in final preparation ahead of the meeting with the company scheduled for ten thirty this morning.

The Union has mobilised workers for a meeting scheduled for three o’clock this afternoon immediately following the meeting when officials say they will also speak to the media on what was revealed to them.

Petrotrin Chairman Wilfred Espinet was unavailable for comment ahead of the talks and company officials reached by the Guardian said details of the plan will only be revealed after the company met with the unions.

Petrotrin has a combined workforce of more than 5,000 employees, the majority of whom are in the core operating areas, but the company provides indirect employment for thousands more.

Its salaries and wages bill according to Khan is “in excess of fifty per cent of its operating cost.”

The company is the source of all gasoline, diesel and jet fuel consumed by the country and is the pillar of the economy in South Trinidad.

However the company has a debt of TT$13B, owes the Government TT$3.5B in outstanding taxes and royalty, and has a bullet payment valued at US$850M due in November next year.

Yesterday the Energy Chamber posted a chart on its Facebook page indicating that between January and June this year Petrotrin imported over 15 million barrels of crude oil for the refinery.

40% of the crude oil imports came from Russia, 29% from Colombia, 22% from Gabon, 8% from Canada and 1% from Barbados.

Khan told the media on Sunday that apart from the cost to import the crude, “what compounds the matter is for every barrel of crude refined the company loses between US two dollars and fifty cents and three dollars per barrel, so you importing oil to lose money,” Khan said.

Because of the amount being spent to import crude and the loss incurred on the crude, Khan said it had made the refinery “unprofitable.”

Declaring that Petrotrin is a critical pillar of the country’s economy, two former energy ministers yesterday admitted that while something needs to be done to make the company more viable, the solution is not a shutdown of the company.

Petrotrin’s tentacles extend far and wide in south Trinidad, impacting taxi drivers, transport contractors, service companies and many small businesses they said. Kevin Ramnarine said: “Any downsizing of Petrotrin will have to take these relationships into consideration.”

Both Ramnarine and Carolyn Seepresad-Bachan conceded that the cost of operating the company had made it “uncompetitive.”

Ramnarine said he believes that a reduction in the “headcount” of employees is on the cards and while a private partner may be sought, he said it does not mean the country will surrender control of the facility.

“Attracting private investors does not mean surrendering control, it is possible that we can have private investment and maintain control,” he said, pointing to the examples of Powergen and Tringen.

While the refinery is losing money, Ramnarine said it can be profitable but has had problems with reliability which reduces its throughput, which leads to a reduction of its margins.

He said Petrotrin needs “money and technology to move forward,” neither of which will come from “prayer and rhetoric.”

Seepersad-Bachan said she hopes that whatever plan the board and the Cabinet have approved does not include the sale of the Trinmar assets, which she described as the “jewel of the country.”

“If you sell that you sell a jewel which has a tremendous amount of potential,” Seepersad-Bachan said.

She recalled that when she was Minister of Energy in the period 2010-2011, “my plan was to boost production in the Trinmar fields and to improve the infrastructure investments required to upgrade the infrastructure and then to carry through with an exploration plan.”

Seepersad-Bachan noted that the more indigenous crude available would have assisted in improving profitability. She said Petrotrin had reached this stage “because of years and years of neglect.”

She said the issue of the bullet payment of US$850 million was also well known long before the 2010 general election.

“We have been talking about it for years and years. I was aware when I became Minister of Energy and we started putting plans in place to build a reserve towards that bullet payment.”

She could not say whether there is anything in place now. But she said the Government needed to tell the country whether “they plan to postpone that bullet payment or refinance it.”

Seepersad-Bachan said before taking any decision on Petrotrin there should have been a national conversation, including independent experts if necessary to add clarity to the issue.

While the company may want to look at finding an equity financing partner, Seepersad-Bachan said she did not support any plan to “shut down the refinery without further exploring ideas on how to make it profitable given the impact on the economy and consumption of fuel in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean.”

She is of the view that had the Government “taken the necessary steps we would not have had that black hole” which Energy Minister Franklin Khan described it as on the weekend.

radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt

Rehabilitation and corrective work on earthquake-damaged homes has started in the ravaged Mora Heights development in Rio Claro, but some residents are complaining of substandard work. Others are also complaining that unoccupied homes with fallen steps are being given priority over cracked houses occupied by families.

When Guardian Media visited the community yesterday, several contractors were seen repairing staircases and cracked posts.

Reeta Mohammed said she and her husband Michael Degrilla have been sleeping inside their vehicle since the earthquake last Tuesday. Their children are staying with Mohammed’s family at another location in Rio Claro.

Mohammed said when the contractor started repairing the stairs, he allegedly started using steel which could not hold the weight of the stairs. It was only after the family complained to the HDC that the proper standard of steel was prepared for use by the contractor, she noted.

“It is a week since the earthquake and my stairs and home are still unfinished. It is frustrating. We don’t want relocation because we are afraid they will forget to fix our house,” Mohammed said.

Another resident, Kion Scipio, said they were hoping the repairs could be done before the start of the new school term.

Looking frustrated as they sat under the unfinished home, Scipio said, “It is hard for us. We want the repairs to be completed soon.”

Another resident whose home was cracked up after the earthquake said the HDC was focussing mostly on repairing fallen staircases.

“Some of us have big cracks in the house and HDC telling us to wait. They will see about that after. How they expect us to feel when we see the contractors fixing houses which are unoccupied. We want the HDC to prioritise better,” the resident said.

Resident Bhimdath Ramdath said the HDC should have supervisors on hand to monitor the contractors.

“We want to make sure that the houses get a proper fix. We are thankful that the HDC is doing the work and we know they are moving as quickly as they can, but we need the supervisors to check out the project because we do not want shoddy work,” Ramdath said.

Parasram Singh, one of the contractors on site, said several small contractors were hired by the HDC to complete the job.

“Every contractor got two houses to build but not all of us are doing the same kind of work,” he said, pointing to another construction project.

He said the construction will be completed within three to four days but it will take another 14 days for the cement to “cure.”

Brian Barrow, from Johnson Construction, said the HDC sent out project specifications for the job and after consultation, they changed the quality and size of the steel from Mohammed’s house. But a spokesperson from HDC said all the projects are being evaluated by their engineering team. Efforts to contact HDC managing director Brent Lyons were unsuccessful yesterday as calls to his cellular phone went unanswered.

An inconsolable Salasha Ali says her life will never be the same in the wake of Friday’s accident in which industrial equipment fell off a truck and almost crushed her to death. While she thanked God for saving her life yesterday, Ali, 30, said she fears the injuries she sustained will never heal 100 per cent.

Strong enough to speak despite being in excruciating pains in her bed at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC), Ali cried: “I thank God for life but my whole life just gone in front of my eyes. I will never be the same again. How will I take care of my two children, they need me…my husband needs me. Will I ever live my life normal again?”

Ali sustained a broken right arm and is expected to undergo reconstructive surgery on it next Tuesday.

“I was told that my bones cannot mend back on its own due to the extent of damages. My arm was shattered.”

Her pelvic bone is also severely damaged causing numbness in the legs and she received injuries to her head and spine.

Ali was unable to move any part of her body on the right side yesterday and broke down in tears as she recalled the moments just before the industrial welding plant flew off a three-tonne truck and landed on her along Chin Chin Road in Cunupia. Ali’s 12-year-old daughter Saleena also sustained minor injuries during the incident

Ali yesterday said she believes she had died on the scene for a moment and shared her “outer body experience.”

“I had now pack out the table and as I bend down to see about the ochroes I had in a box and I hear something and when I look up this huge thing hit me. I didn’t know anything after that, except that my soul came out and I saw my two children bawling and crying for me,” Ali said.

“I remember seeing a big white flash and just like that, I felt my body jolted and like my soul snap back into my body. I remembered opening my eyes but not being able to see clearly in front of me. I was not myself…ever since I am in so much pain…too much to bear.”

Ali said this week she was supposed to buy things for the children ahead of the reopening of school next week.

“I am a poor person and my family is very poor but I work very hard and more hard to see my children off to school and getting their education. I have no money. My daughter, although she got an injury to the eye, she is crying out for pain all over her body every night. I can only watch them through the window here (referring to the ward), I cannot even hug my children.”

Ali said she the owner of the construction company whose truck was involved in the accident had visited her and offered grocery items.

“I don’t want that…what could that do for me right now? My life destroyed. I need to be properly well compensated. The driver should be held responsible and should be in jail. The driver never even come to see me…nothing,” Ali lamented.

Ali’s husband, Michael Sookwah, yesterday met with his attorney to seek legal advice.

“We want justice. My wife crying too much and I can’t sit and do nothing.”

The T&T Guardian understands that the truck driver, who is said to be in his early 20s, was only recently employed with the company. Efforts to reach the company’s owner yesterday were unsuccessful as he did not return calls. Officers of the Cunupia Police Station are continuing investigations.

University of the West Indies (UWI) student Anjali Ramlalsingh was crowned 2018 Miss La Reine Rive at the Sundar Popo Hall of Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA), San Fernando, on Sunday.

Ramlalsingh, 18, is a first-year student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Psychology at St Augustine campus.

Ramlalsingh, who lives at St Helena Village, Piarco, and represented the community of Nariva/Mayaro, not only took the top prize of $37,500 but also won two category titles as well.

Even, as her supporters rooted for her through the show, Ramlalsingh maintained composure and cascaded across the stage in a Michael Salikram-influenced gown. The flesh colour gown was adorned with beads, sequins and dried cocoa beans and pods that paid tribute to the cocoa plantations which were part of the history of the community she represented.

The runners-up were Chanda Marie La Touche (St George West), Aneka Audain (St George West), Kerry-Ann Sealy and Shenesse Richardson.

The show, titled Le Granz Affaire, was the climax of a two-part event. Earlier this month the 15 delegates took part in the self-expression and talent segments.

Delivering the feature address at the event, Minister of Community Development, Culture and the Arts Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said the level of talent exhibited was on par with that displayed in the foreign-based version of America’s Got Talent.

“The Prime Minister’s Best Village Trophy competition is our long-standing version of Trinidad and Tobago’s got talent. Imagine America’s Got talent started only in 2006, we have had Best Village for over 60 years,” Gadsby-Dolly told the gathering

“Over the past three years, a concerted effort had been made to mainstream the Prime Minister’s Best Village Trophy Competition. We created and streamed the Folk Arts Festival live, opening it up to new audiences. We must diversify our offering as our audience and culture evolve. If we don’t, Best Village will fast become irrelevant. In order to grow it, we must step up, adapt or become extinct.”

The night also showcased the talents of the Swastika East Indian devotional dance group, Green Pioneers Spiritual Song, Khalanayak Academy of Dance, Sabor Del Caribe parang group and the Malick Folk Performing Company.

radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt

For almost a year Mala Deonanan and her three children have been living in a dark, damp house, cloaked by a canopy of vines at Armour Street, Princes Town.

The children—Rianna Ali, 11, Alianna Ali, eight and Leanna Deonanan, six— have no proper place to play and no electricity to help them in their studies. There was no running water to wash, bathe, cook or clean the house and no place to put their clothing.

At night time, the children would huddle together on a mattress with their mother, praying that no snakes would drop from the overhead mass of vines.

In an interview on Monday, Deonanan said she finally saw some hope after Dave Rodriguez, a cameraman, who produces Hardcore News on Facebook, came to her aid and highlighted her story.

Deonanan said the Caring Hearts Foundation, from Rousillac, responded to the story and offered to build a two-room house for her at Princes Town.

She said her children’s father left them several years ago, saying he was going to pick up a job opportunity abroad and never came back. Deonanan moved into her mother’s house at St Croix Road but last year the house burnt down.

“We had no place to go and a relative who was staying in that house told us to come and stay downstairs,” Deonanan said.

The house was in a severe state of dilapidation but it at least provided some sort of shelter for the children.

The flooring from the condemned upper floor was missing and the concrete on the lower floor was always damp and slippery.

Heaps of clothing littered the floor and Deonanan said it was customary to see snakes slithering around.

“We have no place to put anything. We have no furniture and no closets. All we have is a stove but it is not always functional,” Deonanan said.

Director of Caring Hearts Foundation Indira Solomon, who owns an acre of land in Barrackpore offered one lot to Deonanan and a 99-year lease but that offer was turned down.

However, she opted instead for the Foundation to build a house for her at St Croix Road, in Princes Town where she once lived.

“I don’t want to transfer the children out to another school. I don’t want their education to be disrupted. If we live in Princes Town they will know everyone around and we could build a better life,” she said.

Solomon on Monday called on members of the public to assist the family in furnishing their new home. She said someone had already donated all the children’s school books and uniforms.

“We plan to build the house this weekend, just a two-room house and we will try to get them moved in before the start of the new school term,” Solomon said.

Anyone wanting to assist the family can contact them at 375-0857.

A $5 million robbery at the cargo dock at the Piarco International Airport, last December, could have been avoided.

This was the claim made by Airports Authority of T&T (AATT) security officers while addressing security concerns at the airport during a press conference held by the Estate Police Association at the Communication Workers’ Union Hall in Port-of-Spain, yesterday.

Vice chairman of the union’s AATT branch Kenneth Joseph said: “We are aware that there had not been any security officer posted at that location for a considerable period of time before that robbery.”

Joseph claimed that the union had highlighted the issue to the AATT management several years before bandits targeted the location and stole over $5 million in cash, which was due to be transferred to commercial banks in Tobago. Four people were charged for the robbery but the stolen cash has not been recovered.

He alleged that the airport’s cellphone waiting lot and lax requirements for security clearance for certain segments of the facility were to blame. He also suggested that it could have been foiled if the AATT security team had an emergency response unit, which was only set up after.

“We are demanding that the AATT become more proactive and not reactive,” Joseph said.

Joseph also pointed out that there was limited CCTV coverage of the perimeter fence around the airport as he noted that the union’s branch chairman Videsh Bhagwandeen was injured while attempting to detain an intruder, who breached the fence earlier this year.

Joseph said that the AATT management repeatedly failed to acknowledge its concerns over security at the airport.

“The EPA is of the view that these actions or inactions could suggest that they (AATT) are wilfully allowing drugs and illegal items to enter and leave the country,” he said.

“Can we say that the guns that committed murders last night and last week did not pass through the airport? I think not,” Joseph added.

He claimed that the issues have a demoralising effect on its members, who were overworked due to staff shortages.

“Some officers are dejected but because of their professionalism they continue to do their jobs under immense strain and scrutiny,” he said.

Joseph said that the union is seeking an invitation to appear before a Joint Select Committee of Parliament (JSC) so that it could highlight the issues further.

“If we are not, we will hold another press conference, next week. We may even seek the assistance of the United States Embassy and the United Kingdom and Canadian High Commissions as they all have a vested interest in the Piarco International Airport,” he said.

The parent of a Form One student entering secondary school for the new academic year can spend as much as $2,500 in textbooks.

This price excludes stationery, school bag, uniform and shoes which can rack up another $1,500.

For a First Year primary school pupil one textbook comes with a price tag of $100, while the cost of school books for a Form Four student pursuing business or sciences subjects can be $3,500.

With the reopening of schools on Monday, parents have been flocking bookstores to purchase books, uniforms and school supplies.

At Nigel R Khan, on Queen Street in Port-of-Spain, mother of one Angela Bobb shook her head in disbelief when she picked up a copy of Social Studies Activities for Infants- Year 1 costing $100 for her daughter entering First Year class.

“This book is far too expensive? It’s almost the cost of a secondary school textbook. I working and it hard for me to buy this book far less for parents who are without jobs,” Bobb said.

She said that she spent upward of $1,200 in textbooks, stationery, shoes, lunch kit, uniform and a school bag to get her daughter prepared for school.

David Glasgow who works part-time said he decided to use the textbook rental loan programme which provides books to primary and secondary students free of charge.

The books are returned to the school at the end of the academic year.

This programme is part of the Ministry of Education’s effort to ensure all students have access to an education.

“The Form Three books are not in the best of condition but it eased me up financially. If I had to buy all of my daughter’s books I would have had to cough up over $3,000 which is money I do not have,” Glasgow said.

Glasgow’s daughter is a student of Woodbrook Government Secondary School.

Single parent Juliet Harding paced the floor of RIK Services Ltd on Queen Street, as she shopped for her son, a Form Four business student of Caribbean Union College Secondary School.

Last month, Harding spent $1,200 in textbooks.

She returned to the store on Monday to buy the remaining books, which came up to roughly $1,400.

“I still have to get a couple of school shirts and pants and a new bag which will cost close to $700. I still have to get a pair of durable shoes which is going to cost me a pound and a crown. When I tally my overall bill it may come up to $4,000,” Harding said.

At Metropolitan Book Suppliers at Capital Plaza, Noel Lall, who is unemployed, said he purchased all his daughter’s secondary school books second hand with the exception of a $240 Maths textbook.

“I spent around $1,200 in second-hand books. I can’t dodge buying this Form Three Maths book. She needs it.”

In March, Lall was retrenched from his sales representative job and had not been able to land himself any work since then.

Asked why he did not obtain books from the government rental programme, Lall said he heard the books were in a poor condition with “dog ears and scribbling here and there.”

On Monday, Zakiyah Hernandez, a supervisor with Nigel R Khan Booksellers admitted that a lot of secondary textbooks had been revised with new prices, which ranged from $120 to $180.

Hernandez said the most expensive book was Volume Two Mathematics-A Complete Course with CXC Questions priced at $245 used by students in Forms Three, Four and Five.

Another book was Modules in Social Studies which had a price tag of $225.

She said the lowest secondary school science book was $75 with the highest being $171.

Questioned what would be the average cost of textbooks for a Form One student, Hernandez said between $2,500 to $2,000 depending on the school.

From Hernandez’ observation, she said many customers have been buying books “piece-piece,” due to the downturn in the economy and rising unemployment. “Parents are really feeling the pinch.”

The Privy Council has cleared the last impediment blocking the Ministry of Works and Transport from resuming work on the first phase of the Churchill Roosevelt Highway extension to Manzanilla.

The United Kingdom-based court yesterday rejected environmental activist group Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS)’s final appeal over the dismissal of its lawsuit challenging a Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC) granted by the Environmental Management Authority (EMA).

The decision means that an injunction granted to the group by the local Court of Appeal, pending the final appeal, was automatically removed.

The five Law Lords, who heard the appeal at the United Kingdom’s Supreme Court in London, England, last month, did not give reasons for their decision, which was communicated directly to the parties.

The full judgment is expected to be released by the court on October 8.

In its appeal, the group was challenging two successive decisions by the High Court and Court of Appeal to strike out its lawsuit, in which it was challenging the process used by the EMA to grant the ministry the CEC for the first phase between Cumuto and Guaico. The five-kilometre segment is estimated to cost $400 million. Both local courts ruled that the case was filed outside the three-month statutory limit.

While FFOS was required to file the lawsuit three months after the EMA granted the ministry the CEC on June 22, last year, it filed it exactly three months after it learned of the decision on July 6.

In its substantive lawsuit, the group was claiming that the proposed route infringes on the Aripo Savannas forest reserve, which was declared an environmentally sensitive area by the EMA in 2007.

The reserve consists of 1,780 hectares of land which is home to over 500 species of plants including seven rare species and two endemic kinds of grass as well the endangered ocelot.

In defence of the claim, the EMA denied any wrongdoing in its process and pointed out that the CEC contained safeguards including constant monitoring by its team of technical experts to ensure compliance.

In its decision in March, the Court of Appeal also agreed with High Court Judge Kevin Ramcharan that most of the grounds raised by the group in its judicial review lawsuit are devoid of merit.

In a release issued yesterday, the EMA stated: “This judgment confirms the EMA’s rigorous process which has once again, withstood the scrutiny of the highest courts.”

However, none of the three courts that presided over the case did an in-depth review of the EMA’s process as that would have been done if the substantive case went to trial.

In a release issued shortly after, the group said that it was saddened but not discouraged by the outcome.

“FFOS is proud to have fought to protect the voiceless in this precious eco-system (the largest and last remaining naturally occurring savannas) in our country and to have petitioned the court for the highway to be simply be moved 400 metres south of the Savannas to protect rare, threatened, endemic, endangered, vulnerable species and the legally designated environmentally sensitive species, the ocelot,” it said.

The group was represented by Anand Ramlogan, SC, Richard Wald and Alvin Pariagsingh. The EMA’s legal team included Peter Knox, QC, Amira Rahaman, Ravi Heffes-Doon and Janelle Partap. The ministry and the National Infrastructure Development Company Limited (Nidco) was represented by Ian Benjamin, SC, and Tamika Jorsling.

Chief executive officer of the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) Wendy Ali yesterday dismissed reports that ailing patients of the Port-of-Spain General Hospital were being hastily discharged from the health institution to make room for relocated patients of the hospital’s Central Block.

Her comments came after reports surfaced that relatives of patients warded at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital had challenged the decision by hospital authorities to discharge a number of patients to make room of others transferred from the Central Block.

Last Thursday, the NWRHA decanted 122 patients of the hospital’s Central Block after the Urban Development Corporation of T&T promised to undertake remedial works on the building after it suffered damage during last Tuesday’s 6.9 magnitude earthquake.

Most of the patients were shifted to the hospital’s North Block.

Ali said between Monday and yesterday the hospital discharged 14 patients.

“My doctors are quite satisfied that these people (patients) were ready to go home. We would not discharge a patient unless we believe that they are medically fit to be discharged. I spoke to the medical director and manager of quality in here and nobody has any reports of that. Nothing officially has come to us.”

She admitted that the hospital continues to identify “more bed spaces” on the North Block.

“We are actively monitoring our bed usage that we have. We could afford to admit patients. What we are doing is managing our bed bureau properly, in that, we will look at other spaces we have identified. We don’t expect the limited spaces to last very long. We are working aggressively in creating new ward spaces.”

Soon, she said new wards will be opened. On Monday, Ali said the NWRHA sent one patient to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex for treatment.

“Since that time we have sent no further patients by ambulance to Eric Williams Medical. If you come through our Accident and Emergency department you will stay at Port-of-Spain General Hospital.”

The Police Social and Welfare Association has again proposed a change of police officers’ uniforms.

Members of the association yesterday met with newly-appointed Police Commissioner Gary Griffith and divisional commanders of the T&T Police Service (TTPS) over the proposal, which arose out of previous discussions with Griffith over the need to rebrand the service.

In a telephone interview after the meeting, association’s president Insp Michael Seales said: “We want to leave the old uniform in the past because it has a lot of historical disdain over the current uniform. So when we rebrand we are doing so fresh.”

Seales said the proposed uniforms, which he claimed were well received by Griffith and other senior officers, have technical features that make them harder to replicate by criminals.

“They are particularly designed for the TTPS, so it is not like a person can easily purchase one. It would take a police officer to actually lend a person the uniform,” Seales said.

In addition to a unique design, the uniforms also have features which make them more practical for tropical climates.

“There are some perforated holes running from under the arm to the end of the stomach, which allows air to go into the shirt and be trapped, so it keeps the officers cooler. It is almost essentially waterproof because it dries quickly,” Seales said.

He also claimed the new uniforms would be more cost-effective.

“The uniforms actually cost far less than what we are using at this time. Just the silver button alone carries up the cost of the uniforms astronomically,” Seales said as he claimed the uniforms are “wash and wear” and would allow officers to robe and disrobe within 10 to 15 seconds.

The uniforms will also feature standardised footwear for officers which was selected based on comfort for officers.

Asked whether the new uniforms are similar to those proposed under the tenure of former police commissioner Dwayne Gibbs in 2012, Seales said there were differences. He also admitted that the previous proposal failed due to a failure to get Government approval.

“We would have tried our best to advocate for the change also but we found that what happened is that with changes in ministers there was a change in direction on the objectives,” he said.

In addition to the uniforms, the association also prosed that police identification cards be replaced by metal badges such as those used by international police forces such as the New York Police Department (NYPD). Seales said the badges would help eliminate police impersonators and would feature an electronic chip which would assist in emergency situations.

“There is also technology in those badges where we can store data, including medical history, enter and exit history into buildings, overtime billing and history of what officers are trained in,” he said.

Griffith also met with the T&T Prison Service and Prison Officers' Association on security for prison officers yesterday.

kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt

With $8 billion in losses in the past five years and a bullet payment of US$850 million due in 2019, Petrotrin chairman Wilfred Espinet says terminating its Refining and Marketing operations and retrenching 1700 permanent and casual employees was the only way to save the company after 100 years of operations in the industry.

In a media conference at the Pointe-A-Pierre Staff Club yesterday, Espinet said a commercial company cannot continue to operate at a loss indefinitely. He said under the current operation, Petrotrin’s value in terms of its balance sheet was deteriorating. Given the mandate by the Government to return the company to profitability, Espinet said the board of directors had to embark on a programme that would stop the deterioration so the company would be able to pay the debt it had accumulated.

Petrotrin has a $12 billion debt and owes Government more than $3 billion in taxes and royalties. The company requires a cash injection of $25 billion to refresh its infrastructure and to repay its debt, Espinet said, noting this money could not be funded initially and it was impossible to keep the refinery working.

In a release yesterday, the company said if left as is, the projected loss would be an estimated $2 billion per year. Espinet added that if the company does not find a solution to its bond payments in the coming weeks there will be an impact on its sovereign rating. He said the money being saved from shelving crude imports will help to repay the loan.

On being appointed, he said the board recruited experts to assess the performance capacity of the company’s assets and it was found that in comparison to other companies in the industry, Petrotrin ranked last. He could not give a value of Petrotrin’s assets, as he said several were written down but they were intangible.

Further “bad investments” like the World Gas to Liquid Plant exacerbated the current problem, he said. Petrotrin produces 140,000 barrels of oil daily, of which 100,000 are imported crude. These imports require a lot of working capital and contribute to the loss.

“We had to take Petrotrin and redesign it from what it was and we put it into focused companies that would have an exploration and production end and a refinery and marketing unit. These two units were looked at and it was identified from very early that the refining and marketing were not going to survive because it was not profitable. It could not be made profitable, in fact,” Espinet said.

“We had a continued programme of looking at all sorts of ways to make this thing work. We came to the conclusion that if we wanted to be able to pay back the debt and if we wanted to be able to have a profitable company that could be sustained over time, we would have to take out what was the cancer of the operation and that would have been the refining and marketing.”

Noting that retrenchment would be an emotional process for the affected workers, he said the board met with the Government and looked at all options but there was no alternative. He said government accepted the board’s proposal and gave the go-ahead for the closure.

Espinet said this will be the course of action unless the Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union can come up with an alternative that is better than the closure. The OWTU has already presented its proposals to the company, which called for the creation of four entities: Land: North and East (LNE), Trinmar Offshore Operations, Exploration and Production and the Augustus Long Hospital.

OWTU leader Ancel Roget had warned that the refinery will be sold to private investors, but yesterday Espinet said, “There is no likelihood of that refinery being sold.”

Although aged, the refinery had had several upgrades in recent years. Among them is the construction of an Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel Plant, which Espinet said gave it value.

Board member Anthony Chan Tack said the refinery was unreliable and likened it to a taxi that was “more in the garage than on the road.”

No date was given for the restructuring exercise, as Espinet said they wanted to work with the union to determine the best way of retrenchment.

Approximately 2,600 permanent jobs will be affected as the company intends to redesign its Exploration and Production business, which will have approximately 800 workers.

Yesterday, the board met with the OWTU to discuss the company’s plan, which the union rejected.

In April, the company and the union signed a Memorandum of Agreement to establish a working committee to restructure Petrotrin. This included regular meetings, but none were held since the agreement was signed. Espinet explained yesterday that the company wanted to present the union with a workable plan, but all it had was a problem. He said they did not want to approach the union without a feasible course of action.

“We had a problem. We were not going to go to them with a problem. We were going to go to them with a solution. Coming to them with this, therefore, is to us, what the solution is,” Espinet said.

He said the company was asking the union to understand a situation which has a major impact on it and its members. He said the company now has to find an exit plan that makes it less difficult than if the workers were just being thrown on the pavement.

radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt

Predicting an exponential increase in fuel prices at the pumps if the Government succeeded in shutting down the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery, Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union president general Ancel Roget yesterday called on all citizens to join with the union to stop the sale of Petrotrin’s assets.

Also calling for a boycott of the People’s National Movement Government starting yesterday, Roget said after 100 years in the oil and gas industry, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley was now taking T&T back to the days of colonialism by ending Petrotrin’s refinery operations to import fuel for domestic consumption.

Addressing hundreds of workers at Beaumont Hill, Pointe-a-Pierre, Roget said under the new restructuring plan, T&T’s crude oil will be exported as raw material and local consumers will have to import the finished product at exorbitant prices similar to the days of slavery.

“Who will supply us with fuel?” Roget asked, with someone in the crowd shouting back, “Venezuela.”

“If that country faces a natural disaster or political civil unrest or economic mayhem, we will be at their mercy and they could cripple our economy! Is the Government thinking about that?” Roget asked as the crowd applauded.

Accusing the Government of betraying the citizenry, Roget said they will resist any attempt to sell Petrotrin’s assets. He said during a meeting with the Petrotrin board yesterday, three proposals were outlined which the union rejected.

The first option was to leave Petrotrin as it is; the second to downsize the entire Exploration/Production and Refining operations and the third was to shut down the refinery, send home all workers and rehire a workforce of 1,000.

Roget said Petrotrin currently employs 3,500 permanent workers. But out of the 1,000 to be rehired under the new plan, he said Petrotrin plans to use 800 for the Exploration and Production fields and 200 for the turn-milling operations which will replace the refinery.

Asked what will happen to the existing refinery, Roget said there was the suspicion that all its 33 functional plants will be sold in a fire sale to a company now hiding behind the scenes and directing the Government to betray the people of T&T.

Saying the PNM will face a terrible political backlash for this action, Roget said the motoring public had every reason to be worried, adding that consumers may end up paying international prices for fuel in the near future. This, he said, will cause mayhem in T&T.

“We have seen the heartless intentions of Dr Rowley to unleash a type of hardship that this country has never seen before,” Roget said.

Told that Petrotrin said it was not selling the refinery, Roget said, “We do not trust the Petrotrin board or the Government.”

He said since 2011, the OWTU had submitted a proposal to Petrotrin to turn around the fortunes of the floundering company by setting up four divisions—Land: North and East (LNE), Trinmar Offshore Operations, Exploration and Production and the Augustus Long Hospital. He said each entity would be held accountable for boosting crude oil, the production of which will reduce the existing crude importation for the refinery. Roget said under this plan, without any further drilling activity an increase of 5,000 barrels per day would have been achieved and once there was a full reactivation of Southwest fields, a further 3,000 barrels per day would have been achieved.

He added that on April 3, a Memorandum of Agreement was signed with the board to implement the union’s proposal but behind the workers’ backs, the company decided to shut down the refinery and send home workers. He revealed that 100,000 barrels of oil per day are imported to run the refinery, while production levels are at 40,000 barrels of oil per day.

He said a meeting will be held with the company on Monday to further discuss proposals, adding that Petrotrin will only save $2 billion if the refinery operations were shut down.

Roget also warned that the board has already cancelled orders for crude oil imports in a bid to ramp down operations at the refinery, so although it asked for a meeting it seemed the death of the refinery was already a “done deal.”

He advised the workers to blank the PNM by not attending its meetings and fetes, adding anyone who supports the party was showing no self-respect for themselves or the country. He also warned that the union will be utilising several strategies to ensure that the Government does not send T&T into a tailspin by shutting down Petrotrin.

The Government will now determine whether there are price hikes in fuel supplies to consumers when Petrotrin shuts down its refinery and begins importing fuel.

This was the word from Petrotrin board chairman Wilfred Espinet evening, after he completed a busy day in which he held talks with the OWTU and other unions representing Petrotrin workers and detailed the company’s restructuring plan, which includes shelving the refining business and the future importation of the refined products of gasoline, diesel and aviation fuels.

Speaking to the T&T Guardian at the end of a day of talks, Espinet said any price increase in fuel “is a policy decision, the Government is the one to make the decision.” He said issues such as subsidies we outside the remit of Petrotrin.

Asked whether importing fuel would not be more expensive, Espinet said, “I don’t believe so because we are an expensive refinery. The net cost of the product is unlikely to be any more than it is now.”

Efforts to contact Energy Minister Franklin Khan and Finance Minister Colm Imbert on the issue of the future price of fuel when the refinery is shut down were unsuccessful as calls to their mobile phones went unanswered.

In the 2018 budget, Imbert announced a 39 cents increase in the price of Super fuel from $3.58 to $3.97 per litre while the cost of diesel fuel went from $2.30 to $3.41 per litre. He also signalled then Government’s intention was to remove the fuel subsidy entirely and implement a system whereby fuel prices at the pump would fluctuate and be determined on the market prices of oil and refined products. The model is similar to that used in the United States and in St Lucia in the Caribbean.

Commenting on the plan yesterday, former energy minister Kevin Ramnarine expressed concern at what he said was the very real prospect of consumers paying international market prices for diesel and gasoline in the absence of information on where the company intends to import fuel from.

According to Ramnarine, about “17 per cent of the refinery output is consumed locally, another 17% is consumed regionally and the is rest sold to extra regional customers.” The major regional customers are Barbados, Jamaica and Guyana, he said.

Yesterday, there were long lines at gas stations as consumers started panic buying in reaction to news the Government planned to shut down the Petrotrin refinery.

But NP, which is the main supplier of fuel products produced by Petrotrin, meanwhile assured that its operations are “running normally with a continuous and reliable supply of fuel.” The company also advised there was “no need for consumers to panic-buy,” saying such action will only serve to “cause fuel shortages.”

Espinet also assured consumers that there was no need to panic buy.

“We have sufficient stock and we will continue to keep quantities so that we do not create disruptions,” Espinet said.

The company, he said, produces more than the country can use and it is that excess which is sold. But in the current situation, “it’s a matter of keeping the inventory so we will be adequately supplied in the local market.”

If there is a need, he said fuel will be imported to ensure that local demands are met, as has been done in the past.

As to supplies to Caribbean islands, Espinet said Petrotrin is looking at importing in “larger amounts and re-sell to some of the smaller markets. It will give us economies of scale in purchasing.”

In doing this, he said there will be use of the facility “in some way. It is not a big business but at least it will keep a few hundred people occupied,” Espinet said.

Unions were informed yesterday that all 1,700 jobs in the refining operations will be terminated and a re-designed exploration and production business will have approximately 800 workers. According to the company, 2,600 permanent jobs will be affected by the restructuring exercise.

Official statistics from the company indicate that Petrotrin had lost TT$8 billion in the last five years, is $12 billion in debt and owes the Government more than $3 billion in taxes and royalties. The company said it required a cash injection of TT$25B to stay alive, to refresh its infrastructure, to repay its debt and even when that is done if the company remains as is it is projected to continue losing about TT$2B a year.

Espinet said with the “termination of the refining operations and the re-design of Exploration and Production, Petrotrin will now be able to independently finance all of its debt and become a sustainable business.”

With Petrotrin’s plan to import gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other refined products for the local market, Petroleum Dealers Association president Robindranath Naraynsingh believes there will be another increase in fuel prices at the pumps.

With the impending closure of Petrotrin’s Refining and Marketing operation, the production of fuel at the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery will cease.

But at a media conference at the Pointe-a-Pierre Staff Club yesterday, Petrotrin board chairman Wilfred Espinet said the company intends to continue to supply local dealers with the products and engage in bunkering. Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) will not be imported, he said.

Espinet could not, however, say where the products would be sourced. But he said they will find the products in the same way the company was able to source crude for refining. Petrotrin already imports crude from Canada and Russia.

When asked if the importation of fuel will increase the cost at fuel stations, he said: “Listen, the pump price is a policy decision. It has nothing to do with cost. The pump price that you pay has nothing to do with the cost of the fuel, so that is a political position for somebody to have to tangle with.”

In an interview afterwards, however, Naraynsingh said that the impact will be felt heavily given three increases in fuel prices in the past three years. If prices increase again, he said the impact on motorists’ finances could lead to a decrease in purchasing. This means that many operators could suffer heavy losses, he said.

“There is going to be a change in how we do business, how the effect drills down to the ordinary citizens of our country and it is going to drill deep. We as a people have to now hope that we’re going to climb out of this…We will go through a little turmoil, there will be some convulsion in the way we operate, some high people will dictate to us what to do,” Naraynsingh said.As operators of fuel stations, he said they are governed by the Petroleum Act, which means that the cost of fuel at the pump is dictated by the Government. With profit margins already small, he noted many operators depend on a high turnover rate in order to reap gains, which may change under the future plan. “A lot of gas station dealers are just living above substance levels. Expectations are going to be very strenuous and when the price of gas goes up, you collect a lot of money and pay a lot of interest in the bank on overdrafts. Small dealers will go out soon.” He warned that these kinds of situations were responsible for dealers operating in clandestine ways, all with the purpose of keeping their families fed. He is hoping that the Government consults with the association before making any changes.

$100,000 bail

for charges of

kidnapping and child abuse

A 42-year-old handyman, accused sexually grooming and touching of a nine-year-old girl, has been released on $100,000 bail.

David Delves was granted bail after appearing before Magistrate Adia Mohammed in the Port-of-Spain Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday charged with three offences arising out of the incidents.

In addition to sexual grooming and touching, Delves was charged with abducting the child on November 28, 2016. Although the child’s parents reported the attack shortly after the incident, Delves was only arrested by officers of the Child Protection Unit on Independence Square in Port-of-Spain on Monday.

As part of the conditions of his bail, Delves was ordered to stay at least 500 feet from the victim and to not communicate with her.

The investigation was conducted by Insp Gideon Dickson, Sgt Nashia Moreau and PC Joel Frederick of the unit.

Painter in court on rape, sex offences

A 44-year-old painter from Port-of-Spain was expected to appear in court yesterday charged with raping a 17-year-old girl over the past seven years.

Naylan Farrell was due to appear before Magistrate Adia Mohammed in the Port-of-Spain Magistrate’s Court to answer 17 sexual offence committed against the minor since she was 10 years old.

He was charged with nine offences of sexual penetration, four offences of serious indecency, three offences of grievous sexual assault and one charge for sexual intercourse with a female under 14. The offences alleged began in September 2010 and ended in July.

Farrell allegedly fell under the radar of the Child Protection Unit after the victim reported the incident on August 8.

Farrell, who was arrested the following day, was also charged under the Offences Against the Person Act for choking the victim during the incident.

The investigation was conducted by Supt Sharon Cooper, Insp Gideon Dickson and Cpl Odean Neptune, all of the unit.

Eight arrested as four guns seized in west Trinidad

Western Division police have arrested eight men in relation to the seizure of four illegal firearms, this week.

Police arrested five of the suspects on Monday after they stopped their Nissan B15 along the Western Main Road in Westmoorings.

Police found a loaded Glock 17 pistol with 11 rounds of 9 mm ammunition. The gun was also outfitted with a selector which allows the user to fire automatic bursts from the semi-automatic pistol.

The suspects, ages 18 to 21, all from Factory Road in Diego Martin were arrested.

Almost 24 hours later, officers of the Western Division Task Force (WDTF) led by Sgt Ulric Arneaud were on patrol in Richplain, Diego Martin, when they observed three armed men in a bushy area. The men attempted to run away but were arrested.

The officers recovered an FX-9 machine gun, a 12-gauge pump action shotgun, a Glock pistol and 14 rounds of assorted ammunition.

The pistol was also outfitted with a selector.

The eight suspects remained detained up to late yesterday and are expected to be taken to court today.

Chairman of the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) Newman George yesterday warned that any contractor found guilty of poor workmanship on public housing projects will be blacklisted.

Newman raised the issue at the keys distribution ceremony of the Malabar Site Three, housing development in Arima, which consists of 95 three-bedroom and two and a half townhouse units.

Keys were distributed to 37 new homeowners with 25 units to be completed by the end of October.

The cost of a three-bedroom and 2.5 bath townhouse/duplex was priced at $675,000.

Attending the ceremony were Housing Minister Edmund Dillon and Member of Parliament for D’Abadie/O’Meara Ancil Antoine.

In bringing greetings, Antoine urged the HDC to “shift the paradigm” by providing shelter to contract workers and the self-employed.

He said many instances, the self-employed who earns a monthly income but has no proof of savings are turned down when they apply to the HDC for a home.

This, Antoine said should be re-examined to allow the playing field to be levelled. Dillon agreed and said such people needed to be educated on how to save in a lending institution to qualify for a home.

Dillon, in his feature address, said the Government was duty-bound to complete projects which were left abandoned.

“As mentioned before this development has been long in coming. It was projected to have started in 2007 and was meant to be completed some 12 months after. However, in 2011 the project was still not completed and the contract was terminated.”

Dillon said the project was left in abeyance until 2015. Nine small contractors took over the project.

In a fact sheet HDC provided to the media, it stated that the project was terminated on September 26, 2011.

“The HDC terminated the contract for breach of contract (breach of duty to diligently perform, obligations under contract — poor workmanship, substandard quality of work and abandonment of the site). Works were approximately 60 per cent complete at the time of termination,” the fact sheet stated.

George was unable to say the value of the contract. He, however, admitted that shoddy work was done.

" In fact, if I can share some of it with you. Some of the plug outlets were just there…no connecting wires…no conduits. The thing about it we don’t know what transpired before. When we got here…this was just abandoned. We tried researching what had happened …we have come up with nothing…nothing that we could put blame on the contractor or look for some kind of redress.”

George said HDC did not take the contractor to court for the incomplete project.

He said the HDC had to change the roofs, electrical and plumbing installations.

“There was a lot of patching and welding with the roofs,” George said.

George said the HDC did a lot of retrofitting to bring the housing project up to standard.

“We had to do almost everything. What was standing was just the structure,” he said.

To retrofit one unit, HDC had to fork out $423,000, George said.

To complete the 37 abandoned units, George said it would have cost HDC $15.6 million.

A total of $295 million worth of illegal narcotics have been seized through the efforts of Crime Stoppers T&T (CSTT) in the past 19 years, according to the organisation.

This and other statistics were revealed by Garland Samuel, the Executive Manager of Crime Stoppers, during a town meeting hosted in conjunction with the Chaguanas Chamber of Commerce at the Chaguanas Borough Auditorium at Cumberbatch Street on Tuesday night.

He said Crime Stoppers is an NGO that is served by a volunteer board of directors that represents members of the business community, the THA and similar entities.

“Crime Stoppers is not the police.. it is a partnership between the community, the media and law enforcement,” he said.

He said in the last 19 years the organisation has been in operation, it has also received 588,066 calls, 19,674 tips that led to 1,607 arrests, and led to the recovery of stolen items to the value of $20, 554, 9924.

Samuel said Crime Stoppers is the best option for reporting crimes since it works on the level anonymity.

He said this may be advantageous to business people who may want to use the tip line as a medium for employees to report criminal activities happening at their business places. He said Crime Stoppers could also be used to report counterfeit goods.

Darrin Carmichael, executive member of Crime Stoppers and CEO of Community Defense Services, gave advice in setting up neighbourhood watch groups. He said safe neighbourhoods are not built but made safe by the people who live there.

He said gated communities may not be that effective in keeping out criminals since criminals can easily penetrate those communities by jumping over a wall or posing as a relative or fast-food delivery personnel.

Carmichael said the level of serious crimes went up from 11,393 reported cases in 2016 to 13,113 in 2017. He said geography no longer governs any community since criminals have the tendency to migrate from one area to the next depending on their needs.

“Some of the cold spots are becoming lukewarm, when Enterprise heats up, they move out.”

Carmichael said while many people may think they are safe in their homes, crime can occur at any place outside the home.

“You stop to buy vegetables, you stop to buy a newspaper, you can be a target any day. It doesn’t matter whether you are in a hot-spot or cold-spot you can become a victim.”

Carmichael said watch groups can work effectively to curb crime by making reports to the law enforcement authorities and are not vigilante groups.

He said watch groups should not confront or question suspects. They do not detain or arrest criminals or put themselves in harm’s way, he said. Carmichael said the reality is that police cannot patrol all areas all the time and may not be versed with locations in the community.

He said members of the community have human intelligence about the people in their neighbourhood and can notice subtle changes in community activity.

Members of the public aired their concerns during the question and answer session.

Rajkumar Krishna Persad said he was upset by the poor turnout at the meeting. Persad suggested that similar meetings be held in collaboration with religious institutions where a more captive audience can be sought.

Alex Roopnarine said he was not happy with Crime Stoppers since it is a post-crime programme that does not prevent crime. Roopnarine said law-abiding citizens should not be asked to curtail their lifestyles since they were paying taxes on everything, while government ministers walk around with bodyguards. Roopnarine said the time has come for law-abiding citizens to get firearms.

Greetings also came from Vishnu Charran, the president of the Chaguanas Chamber of Commerce and Chaguanas Mayor Gopaul Boodhan.