At the end of the third quarter for the year 2020, T&T made history as it recorded 100 murders less at any time in a year as compared to the same period in a prior year.
The good news that serious crimes and murders continue on a decline was made by Commissioner of Police, Gary Griffith on Thursday at the T&T Police Service’s weekly media briefing.
Griffith also noted that there has been a decrease of 20 to 25 per cent of every major crime including violent crimes, kidnappings, rapes, murders and shooting and woundings.
He also said that the reason for this is not that T&T is currently in the COVID-19 pandemic but because of the hard and dedicated work by his police officers.
“It’s not because of COVID but much more than police…it is technology, gang leaders becoming community leaders to build communities and a number of different things that caused this,” Griffith said.
Griffith predicted that should the decline continue by year-end there should be 150 murders fewer than last year’s total of 550.
“Hopefully, we should be back in the 300s.”
DCP Jayson Forde also spoke in the briefing and identified other areas that he believed contributed to the crime decline.
The first was traditional policing, referring to increased police patrols and heightened police presence in widespread areas.
The second point was scientific policing, referring to use of CCTV footage both at a national and residential level and IT Digital technologies, including the launching of the TTPS’ mobile app that caused people to be reporting crimes readily and easily.
Thirdly, he referred to the formation of a Homicide Support Unit, which he said incorporates different entities to analyze cases which see to a faster turnover of investigations and lastly, effective and efficient case management by the TTPS’ legal department and the Director of Public Prosecutions Office. He said the police are able to analyze and review files with a better flow through the system as a faster process to go to court and for the police to produce their cases.
“If the TTPS continues in that thrust we will be able to achieve the vision in making T&T a safer place,” Forde said.
Yesterday was Forde’s last official day in the TTPS as he proceeds on pre-retirement leave.
