File: ACP Collis Hazel speaks to a motorist during the island’s first major joint anti-crime road exercise along the Claude Noel Highway in the vicinity of Tobago Plantation in January.
Chief Secretary Farley Augustine has unveiled plans to use facial recognition to track down criminals, as part of a plan to rid the island of illegal firearms and gun-related violence. Augustine said yesterday that his administration places the safety and security of Tobagonians at the top of its priorities, as any good thing done will be unsustainable and unproductive in an unsafe, unsecured Tobago. He said the THA is prepared to do whatever is necessary to stop the current trend of violence. However, there were hardly any new plans announced in his presentation, as he recapped initiatives announced on May 17, one of which was the immediate reinstatement of the Community Safety Programme with the tagline: When you are safe, I am safe. The Division of Community Development, Youth Development, and Sport will manage the programme and will develop projects related to: 1) The mobilising, organising, and empowering of communities to collectively and effectively participate in the promotion and management of their safety and security 2) The establishment of community services support secretariats in all community centres and multi-purpose facilities 3) The building of trust and confidence pathways between communities and law enforcement agencies 4) The development and implementation of co-created community safety plans designed and engineered on the unique risk profile of each community 5) Community safety rallies and events 6) The establishment of a framework from the building of safer communities through environmental designs and the development of smart city technologies, such as facial recognition Additionally, he said in the next few months, the THA would establish a Department of Public Safety and Security in the Office of the Chief Secretary that will amalgamate all units, agencies, and departments with core public safety functions. As for the establishment of the previously promised THA police unit, Augustine said a legal review has been completed towards its implementation. He said the Assembly will next conduct a public safety audit to inform the institutional design and operation of the department. However, he insisted the THA would not cease to collaborate with national law enforcement agencies. Tobago’s murder rate has steadily increased over the past years, creating alarm on the otherwise peaceful island. So far this year, 10 people have been killed, while last year’s final toll stood at 14. Most of the murders were committed with firearms.
Tobago Plans Facial Recognition to Combat Gun Violence, Trinidad and Tobago
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