With the murder rate for this year already exceeding last year’s toll, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon says more will be done to reduce the incidence of murder in the country.
“The (crime fighting) strategies will be reinforced as we go along; (there will be) more operations, more presence, more deterrents, more arrests,” he said during a brief interview yesterday.
Questioned about the current spiralling murder rate, which stood at 426 yesterday, Dillon said the statistics were one thing “but my concern is really reducing the murder rate as much as possible. All efforts are geared towards that.”
He noted that while there has been a decrease in incidents of serious crime this year, “murder is the barometer by which we always measure and so all efforts are being made to see how best we can reduce the murder rate.”
In response to another question, Dillon said, “We continue to improve our operational capabilities, we continue to provide what is required for the Police Service to do what is necessary and ensure they are supported by the Defence Force.”
He said, however, that there was always the need for improving strategies being tested on the ground.
“We continue to adjust as we go along,” he added.
Dillon said there was a police operation in Sea Lots yesterday and these will continue in various areas “where they have identified from intelligence where a number of (criminal) activities are taking place.”
He then noted that a law enforcement base is being established in Enterprise, Chaguanas, where there has been an increase in serious crimes in the past several months.
Dillon said the police “now operate with the army out of El Socorro. They have to travel to Enterprise.” He said within the next week the new base will be operational.
He said the police will be “going behind the perpetrators, but there are a lot of instances of domestic violence and so on, which are difficult to predict.”
Improving intelligence gathering within the Police Service was critical, he said, adding that “if your intelligence is sound you’d have a better chance of success in your (crime fighting) operations. So there is room for intelligence gathering.”
Dillon said he was pleased with the success of a recent initiative to have the heads of the various police divisions take charge of operations within their districts. He said he would like to see inspectors, sergeants and all other officers take responsibility for their areas.
He said a recent announcement by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley for a return to community policing was also being implemented.
“There must be a little more focus on community policing, where the police and the community will work together to satisfy the security needs of the various communities,” he said.
He said the initiative was being advanced by acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams.