Griffith: Police to respond to calls in seconds

COMMISSIONER of Police Gary Griffith says thanks to the newly launched Emergency Response Patrol vehicles, people can get a response to their calls within seconds.

He was speaking at the launch of the unit’s 85 vehicles yesterday at the Police Training Academy, St James.

He said the unit will bring greater efficiency, faster response time and better co-ordination of resources. Two of the vehicles, he said, were used ahead of schedule in the wake of last week’s devastating floods.

The scheme It will be initially launched in the western and Port of Spain divisions and then implemented in all nine divisions.

“We intend to pump technology never seen before in the history of the TTPS,” he declared.

He said the GPS in the vehicles will allow them to be be tracked from the Operational Command Centre and a Commissioner’s Command Centre with a revamped 999 unit to monitor them and ensure they stay in their areas of responsibility.

“Now you can actually get a response to a call probably in seconds, (or a) maximum of three to five minutes on most occasions.”

He said it would take a few weeks for the revamp of E999 to Emergency Call Centre 999, when callers would no longer stay on hold for 20 minutes, but have a direct link to E999.

Members of the unit would be trained in customer service, offensive and defensive driving, forensic awareness, crime-scene management, use of force, stop-and-search techniques and a minimum use of force policy. Griffith said training will begin immediately and will be done by the Police Training Academy, whose staff were properly accredited and fully trained in the minimum use of force policy, over a period of about two weeks.

The unit will be the first to use non-lethal devices like pepper spray and Tasers.

“Citizens have been calling for better service from the Police Service and I ensure you we are listening.”

The CoP said the unit will have use of technology and have cameras on the vehicles, not only to record but to feed information back to the Operational Command Centre in real time. There will also be a notepad on the dashboard feeding information and eventually assist with licence-plate information, provide information if a suspect has a record, facial recognition and fingerprint tracing.

“Welcome to the new TT Police Service.”