ADDRESS

BY

SENATOR THE HONOURABLE MARTIN JOSEPH
MINISTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY

ON THE OCCASION OF

THE COMMISSIONING OF
THE SPECIALIST CRIME ACADEMY.
SPECIAL ANTI-CRIME UNIT OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
(SAUTT)
 

PLACE: SAUTT’s Compound,
Adjacent to Cumuto Barracks

DATE: Friday 14th July 2006

TIME: 10:00 a.m.

Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security, the Honourable Fitzgerald Hinds

Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of National Security
Mrs. Veronica Belgrave

Commissioner of Police, Trinidad and Tobago Police Service
Mr. Trevor Paul

Director, Special Anti Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago
Brigadier Peter Joseph and Mrs. Joseph

Other Heads of Divisions of the Ministry of National Security

Members of the Command Group of SAUTT

Other Members of Staff of SAUTT

Distinguished Guests

Members of the Media

Ladies and Gentlemen

Today, we are here to recognize another aspect of the continued development within the Law Enforcement agencies of Trinidad and Tobago. The opening of this Specialist Crime Academy speaks directly to the strides that this Government has made towards a more professional and coordinated learning programme for the Law Enforcement Agencies of this country. The realization of this Academy is an asset for our Ministry and our citizens. It represents a further strengthening of the supportive links between the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) and the Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT).

The Special Anti Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT) was established in 2003, with the need to enhance law enforcement operations in Trinidad and Tobago. Its objective is to provide support to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, which is the primary and indispensable agency responsible for this nation’s fight against crime. In that regard the SAUTT Task Force is similar to other Task Force organizations that provide support to the established crime-fighting agency in international arenas.

As you are already aware, a major objective of the transformation of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service is ensuring that the public is served by a more accountable, responsible, competent, better equipped and professionally enhanced organization. Training is an essential component to achieving this objective, as it will provide officers with new skills competencies and attitudes to enhance job performance. As we have learnt from our international counterparts, in-depth training in modern day crime fighting techniques will surely prove a useful tool for law enforcement as they seek to reduce crime from our nation.

This new Specialist Crime Academy is therefore a welcomed addition to the other avenues for training that the Police Service currently utilizes and represents a significant investment by this Government in its drive to curb the incidents of crime in our country.

In the first instant, the Academy will be addressing the training needs of the Special Anti-crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT). However, professional development training and specialist investigative training for the entire Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) will also be conducted at this new facility.

One of the areas to be addressed through the Academy is the availability of specialized investigators, who possess the necessary training and background in the technical aspects of investigation, investigative interviewing and forensic training. There were already a few individuals who received training abroad and were therefore equipped with the specialist training necessary to bring our law enforcement’s investigative team to a higher standard. And, there were other officers who had some hands on training provided by more experience members of staff. I therefore expect that the number of specialized investigators available to the Police Service and SAUTT in the fight against crime will increase tremendously as the Academy begins its operations.

To establish such a training facility here in Trinidad and Tobago, a number of training establishments were visited and evaluated both in the United Kingdom and the United States. These institutions included and are not limited to the following:

		London Metropolitan Police Crime Academy;
		The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation Training Academy at Quantico Virginia;
		The United States Drug Enforcement Agency Training Academy also at Quantico Virginia; and
		The National Specialist Law Enforcement Center at Cambridge, UK.

These institutions were assessed as to their systems of training, programme development, standards and quality control, curriculum and relevancy of training. Based on the evaluations conducted at these institutions, the concept of a Crime Academy and its attendant systems of training materialized and gave rise to the formation of this Specialist Crime Academy.

The curriculum of this new training academy will be developed based upon the needs analysis provided by the various law enforcement agencies including SAUTT. The Academy will evaluate and verify these needs and work with the various agencies to deliver the training as requested.

The curriculum developed thus far is modeled in accordance with the UK Standard and the UK Central Police Training and Development Authority (CENTREX).

CENTREX develops policy by identifying good practice and shares this knowledge both nationally and internationally and I am very pleased to note the collaboration between ourselves and CENTREX in ensuring that best practice in law enforcement training is applied here at this Academy.

One of the key strategic aims of the Specialist Crime Academy is to maintain and expand its links with recognized academic institutions. This is being done to ensure the accreditation of its training, to improve its standards and enhance the professional status of its investigators. It is anticipated that personnel trained at this Academy will become the nucleus of a new breed of law enforcement officers that are academically qualified, technically skilled, professionally competent and highly motivated.

I want to see all of our law enforcement agencies deriving a benefit from this Academy. There is no doubt in my mind that we have here a tremendous opportunity for further strengthen the ethos of co-operation and co-ordination between law enforcement agencies. We also have an opportunity to shift the theoretical and ideological partnership to a more practical one that benefits law enforcement and by extension, the nation.

Let me therefore take this opportunity to thank our international partners in the United Kingdom and in the United States who have and continue to support us in developing the capacity and capability of our law enforcement agencies.

We recognise that to ensure success in the fight against crime, our law enforcement agencies require support and co-operation of countries that have the experience and technical competence.

While we celebrate the implementation of this Specialist Crime Academy let me hasten to add that it is but one aspect of a major thrust by this government as it relates to law enforcement.

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago in its quest for securing developed nation status has created a Vision 2020 Strategic Plan. We at the Ministry of National Security have elected to elaborate on this vision and to focus on where its input is critical and relevant, particularly in one of the development priorities identified in the Vision 2020 document described as “Effective Government”.

Put simply citizens must feel confident in the Government’s ability to deal with issues of national and personal security. All citizens must have reliable access to security services, the borders of Trinidad and Tobago must be well protected from illegal entry, the penal system must be able to effectively rehabilitate and regenerate offenders and citizens should be able to enjoy security from impending natural disasters. The public can rest assured that the Ministry will not shirk in its responsibility to provide and treat with these issues.

In this regard, the addition of this Specialist Crime Academy will make a notable contribution to the Government’s mission to ensure public safety and security for all. With that said, it is with great pride and a sense of accomplishment that we commission this Specialist Crime Academy.

May God continue to bless all of us and our nation.

I thank you.