Give $$ incentives for CCTV in homes—MP

Couva North MP Ramona Ramdial has suggested financial  incentives should be given to citizens to equip their homes with CCTV and similar monitoring devices in the fight against crime. Ramdial spoke with the media after a town meeting at Bank Village, Carapichaima, on Tuesday night.

Together with senior police officers from the Central  Division, the MP met with villagers and launched the Bank Village Community Policing Station Council. She said she had had extensive discussions with members of the public and the police, who suggested incentives should be offered for CCTV systems.

She said the Bank Village Council was the third one formed in her constituency and it would interface with the police and the public to gather information and hear residents’ concerns and in turn report to law enforcement agencies. Ramdial said some people have valuable information about criminal elements but were unwilling to come forward, especially in cases where drug trafficking was involved.  

She said the council also would assist in distributing crime-prevention tips to the public. Ramdial said the police also had offered to do free criminal checks on people seeking to rent properties. She added the area had been plagued with criminal elements moving in and setting up shop in rented apartments. Ramdial said landlords should ask for two forms of identification from the prospective tenants and take them to the police to check whether they had criminal records or charges pending.