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Former Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith is urging Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to reconsider restricting special operations to constituencies and electoral districts represented by the Government.
Griffith made the appeal after Persad-Bissessar announced that special operations would be authorised in the 26 UNC-held constituencies, 70 UNC-held local government electoral districts and two Tobago People’s Party-held constituencies following consultation with THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine.
The Prime Minister said the decision followed opposition from PNM MPs and supporters to the Special Operations Bill. The announced restriction was also reported by Guardian Media on Monday.
Griffith, however, argued that national security operations should not be determined by political representation.
“You are not the Prime Minister of the UNC. You are the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago,” Griffith said in a statement posted to Facebook.
Drawing on his experience as a former National Security Minister, Police Commissioner, Defence Force officer and member of the National Security Council, Griffith said policing decisions should instead be guided by intelligence, threat assessments and criminal activity.
He argued that residents of PNM-held constituencies, including people who may support the Government, could be affected if their communities are excluded from intensified operations.
Griffith also raised concerns about organised criminal networks, arguing that areas identified through intelligence as locations for gang activity, weapons or criminal infrastructure should remain subject to law enforcement operations regardless of constituency boundaries.
“Crime does not distinguish between UNC and PNM. A bullet does not ask how you voted. A gang does not stop operating when it reaches a constituency boundary,” Griffith said.
He stressed that he was not claiming special operations were a perfect solution to crime, but said that if the Government believes they are necessary to improve national security, they should be applied based on security considerations rather than political boundaries.
Griffith ended his appeal by calling on Persad-Bissessar to reconsider the decision and ensure the crime-fighting strategy covers the entire country.
