The Commissioner of Police has revealed that the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service’s (TTPS) Marine Unit will begin its operations in a few weeks.
Gary Griffith said the Marine Unit will patrol ‘Tier 1’ of the coastline- from the shoreline to two miles out at sea, allowing the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard to focus on Tier 2 and 3.
He said the unit has five vessels, about 30 officers and will be used to patrol from the shoreline to two miles out to sea in an effort to stem the illegal import of drugs, guns and human trafficking.
The top cop noted that the officers chosen for this unit have been undergoing intense training for the past several months.
Griffith told media on Thursday: “We saw the importance of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service not only being instrumental to deal with law enforcement on land- it is not just Coast Guard business we have a part to play on land, sea and air- very soon you are going to see drones being implemented in the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service to assist us in that type of operation.”
“There would be patrols specifically to deal with the illegal entry of weapons, drugs and human trafficking, we will have the patrols in specific areas.”
The patrols will be focused on the North Coast, the Gulf of Paria and the SouthWestern peninsula.
Griffith said “This is a pilot project, we intend to be much more effective, we will be looking to acquire interceptors and other types of vessels to assist us in the patrols and this here will work in tandem with the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, this is not the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service doing our own thing.”
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