Senior Reporter
Land and Legal Affairs Minister Saddam Hosein says the Urban Development Corporation of T&T (UDeCOTT) is the executing agency responsible for carrying out the construction of the controversial police post at the Eddie Hart Grounds in Tacarigua. However, he declined to say whether Government obtained all the necessary approvals before work began on the unit on Thursday before it was eventually stopped by the Tunapuna/ Piarco Regional Corporation (TPRC).
Responding to questions from Guardian Media yesterday on the issue, Hosein directed all questions on the approval process to the state agency. Hosein said, “UDeCOTT is the executing agency for the project, so those questions could be properly answered by them at this point in time. What I will say is that we, as a Government, support this initiative to ensure that these police posts are placed for the benefit of the community.”
Guardian Media made several attempts to contact UDeCOTT chairman Shankar Bidassie and CEO Tamica Charles-Philipps yesterday but received no response up to press time.
However, when pressed on whether the Government had complied with the required approval process after the TPRC halted construction at the Tacarigua site, Hosein also declined to give a direct yes-or-no answer.
He said, “At the end of the day, we are guided through the intelligence that we would have received from all of our national security agencies and so on. As civilians, we don’t make the decision in terms of what goes where. These matters are always guided by the intelligence agencies and national security and as far as those matters, that is as far as I will go.”
According to the TPRC, it was not informed that construction would take place at Eddie Hart Savannah before works began, raising concerns about whether the proper procedures were followed.
The issue also sparked a political dispute between Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles, as the PM accused the People’s National Movement (PNM) of using its representatives at the TPRC to stop the construction.
In a strongly worded social media post on Thursday, Persad-Bissessar described the stoppage as “a most evil and vile act committed by the PNM party.” She also accused the Opposition of having no problem with “drug blocks” in Tunapuna but opposing a police post intended to improve security.
Firing back, Beckles accused the Prime Minister of acting as though she was “above the law,” arguing that national security objectives did not exempt the Government from following established procedures.
A day prior, the Prime Minister had announced the Government’s plan to establish 30 army-police joint police posts across T&T over the next four months as part of its anti-crime plan.
Hosein yesterday defended the Government’s wider police post initiative, questioning why the Opposition would oppose increased police presence in communities.
He said, “When we bring crime-fighting legislation, we are bringing now real boots on the ground. They are now opposing this. Why? Why are they opposing this? Is it that they are defending their owners? Are they defending the drug dealers? Are they defending the criminals? I’ll go as far as that this morning because we, right now, are trying to bring back law and order to Trinidad and Tobago.”
He also echoed Persad-Bissessar’s criticism of the Opposition.
He added, “It is a political tool by way of a corporation that they have control of to stop a project. I would like to condemn that political act. That is sabotage, political sabotage in my respectful view. I support the honourable Prime Minister… I support the Prime Minister’s statement when she described that as an evil and vile act by the Opposition.
“Who in their right mind will oppose the construction or the presence of police in their neighbourhood? I can’t understand the position that the Opposition has taken on that matter. In fact, I was flabbergasted when I heard that persons objecting to this.”
Nevertheless, Hosein said the construction of police posts across the country will continue to be rolled out because it will increase security presence within communities.
“You would see more and more of these police force rolling out throughout the nation and persons are happy that we are going to have this level of engagement, this level of presence within the communities throughout our beloved country,” Hosein said.
Asked the cost to construct one police post, Hosein said he did not have the particulars.
