Authorities ready for parade of bands

The National Carnival Commission (NCC) says all mechanisms have been put in place to ensure a safe and enjoyable parade of bands in Port of Spain on Carnival Monday and Tuesday. At a press conference on Thursday at the NCC's VIP Lounge at the Queen's Park Savannah, NCC CEO Colin Lucas said, "It's crunch time in a few days. Every organisation represented here has put in a great deal of work.

"Now we are counting on the support of all our stakeholders who are every man, woman and child who participates and love this thing called Carnival to make it another successful year."

Lucas said the commission's work for Carnival 2021 will begin on Ash Wednesday and the NCC will continue to invest in the Carnival product to elevate its status.

Police Commissioner Gary Griffith said there will be a complete lockdown of all areas where Carnival activities are taking place, and in Port of Spain there will be at least two police officers assigned to monitor every street.

"There is no need for the country to be fearful, just be careful."

Griffith said there will also be the use drones to supplement surveillance efforts and the police will be working with the defence force to provide bolstered security.

Griffith urged citizens to download the TTPS app which has a feature that when activated will alert police of someone in distress. Revellers are also asked to take pictures or videos of any suspicious activities seen and report via the app.

NCC's head of security James Philbert said he is confident that this year's Carnival will come off incident free, and asked revellers to respect all rules. He also reiterated the ban on glass bottles near Carnival zones and said the law will be enforced.