Radar turns political after drug bust — Griffith says public

Radar turns political after drug bust — Griffith says public boasting is endangering national security

Former Police Commissioner Gary Griffith is warning that government officials are putting national security at risk by publicly defending and promoting the new radar system in Tobago.

Griffith, a long-time supporter of installing the radar, said the equipment is extremely valuable for detecting illegal activity, protecting the country’s borders, and strengthening defence operations. But he argues that senior officials are now weakening the radar’s effectiveness by oversharing its capabilities for political purposes.

He pointed to what he described as a “reckless” comment from the Minister of Homeland Security, who recently claimed the radar could help solve a current kidnapping case. Griffith said such statements show a deep misunderstanding of how sensitive kidnapping investigations are, and why certain operational tools must remain confidential.

“Why tell criminals what the State can see?” he asked, saying the Minister’s remarks sounded more like political spin than genuine security information.

Griffith added that the situation escalated when the Commissioner of Police issued a press release “thanking” the radar for helping the TTPS track criminal suspects. He called the move inappropriate and unlike anything he has seen before.

“I’ve never heard of a police service thanking a piece of equipment,” Griffith said. “Advertising what the radar can do only helps criminal networks adjust and avoid detection. In trying to win a political argument, they’ve weakened a key tactical advantage.”

He warned that the TTPS risks looking like a government PR arm by stepping into the political debate and echoing the Ministry’s public defense of the radar.

“Law enforcement must not only be independent — it must appear independent,” he said. “When police adopt political messaging, public trust suffers.”

Griffith emphasized that national-security systems should be protected, not publicly showcased. The more officials describe what the radar can track or how it has helped operations, the easier it becomes for criminal groups to counter it.

“If this continues, the radar will lose its strategic value before it has a chance to be fully effective,” he said. “That hurts the public, national security, and the institutions meant to keep the country safe.”