KAY-MARIE FLETCHER
Senior Reporter
kay-marie.fletcher@guardian.co.tt
Independent Senator Dr Marlene Attzs is rejecting suggestions that the Government’s proposed 30 new police posts to be jointly run by police and army personnel are simply Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO) under another name.
However, she is raising questions about the role and powers of Defence Force personnel, command and control, accountability and how the success of the initiative will be measured.
Responding to questions from Guardian Media on the issue, Dr Attzs said there needs to be clarity on several factors including who will have command and control at the joint posts, what powers soldiers will exercise and what systems will be in place for oversight and accountability.
Attzs said, “I would not automatically describe the proposed 30 police-army posts as ZOSO under another name.”
She said the ZOSO legislation contemplated formally designated geographic areas and specific statutory powers within those zones.
The Government has said these posts are intended instead to supplement existing police stations, increase the visibility of the protective services, improve response times and bring law enforcement closer to communities.
“If police and Defence Force personnel are operating jointly from strategically located posts, citizens should understand the legal and operational framework: Who exercises command and control? What is the role of Defence Force personnel and what powers will they exercise, particularly after the State of Emergency ends? What arrangements will exist for complaints, oversight and accountability?” she asked.
Attzs also raised concerns over the funding of the posts and the estimated annual cost to operate them.
She said, “Raising the question of how both their establishment and recurrent costs will be financed. Thirty posts will require not only construction and outfitting but recurrent expenditure on staffing, utilities, communications, vehicles, technology, sanitation and maintenance. What is the estimated annual cost of operating all 30? Finally, how will we measure whether the expenditure is working?”
But Attzs said some of the concerns she raised during the ZOSO debate remain relevant.
She also asked whether the locations for the posts were selected based on crime data and specific intelligence.
Attzs said there are also questions about how the initiative will be financed, noting that while the supplementary appropriation for fiscal 2026 provided additional funding to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and Ministry of Defence for specified expenditure, the 30 posts were not identified among them.
She said the costs will extend beyond constructing and outfitting the posts to recurrent expenses including staffing, utilities, communications, vehicles, technology, sanitation and maintenance.
Attzs also questioned how the Government intends to determine whether the investment is working.
