Despite scepticism by National Security Minister Jack Warner about the success of the 21st-century policing project, Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs is pressing on with it. Gibbs was speaking at yesterday's launch of the Police Caravan on the Brian Lara Promenade in Port-of-Spain.
Praising the successes of the project, Gibbs said, "We have had many results from the plan. It has been our building block for our policing programmes, and it is a great opportunity, because it is a very flexible programme and it incorporates new ideas." The plan was first launched in Western Division in April last year, then in the Northern and Tobago Divisions.
Gibbs also insisted that he and Warner shared similar goals in the war on crime. On the issue of Warner not contacting Gibbs to ask for police assistance in Wednesday's demolition of the campsite of the Highway Re-route Movement, the CoP did not specifically say whether the national security minister had the direct authority to call a divisional commander and mandate police presence.
Warner's move has been criticised by Opposition politicians and others, who raised the issue of the separation of powers. "We do have an assistant commissioner of police in the Southern Division, and any activity that goes on in that division, certainly he responded to the reports that were provided to him," Gibbs said. He said ACPs had the authority to command their divisions and it was the duty of the police commissioner to delegate that authority to them.