SHASTRI BOODAN
The Deputy Mayor of Chaguanas says the Chaguanas Borough Corporation will be collecting data on persons renting in the borough, with a view to creating a database that could help with crime fighting in Central Trinidad.
Marisa Vidya Ramlogan told Guardian Media that too many criminals are setting up bases in Central.
“Only earlier this month, an 18-year-old Arima man robbed and beat a 61-year-old taxi driver of Felicity,” Ramlogan said.
“The assailant was arrested and appeared before a magistrate, and it turned out that the perpetrator had begun renting in Felicity around September 2020,” she noted.
Deputy Mayor Ramlogan said they have been getting complaints of persons moving into the area and committing crimes—but not all cases are reported.
“In a dwindling economy, landlords sometimes overlook making security checks because many of them owe the bank and have to service their debts,” she explained.
The Deputy Mayor confirmed that a Renters Log registration exercise would soon get underway, noting that it is entirely voluntary.
"We are collecting data such as the names, former addresses of renters and copies of their IDs," she said, “which could help the authorities in the fight against crime. Using this information, the police can narrow down their search.”
She added: “This database also would help to promote safe rental spaces.”
The Deputy Mayor asserts the long-term goal of the exercise was to keep criminals out.