Hinds: Crime declines in Caroni East

NATIONAL Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds on Monday said a series of intelligence-driven strategies and actions by the police have resulted in a decline in serious crime in the UNC electoral stronghold of Caroni East.

Responding to a question in the House of Representatives, Hinds said, "Many strategies have been implemented to curb the crime rate in the Caroni East constituency and the entire Central division."

He said some of those strategies included hosting weekly operational meetings with officers, and analysis of various situations in each district based on actionable intelligence.

"This is in keeping with the intelligence-led policing initiative operating by the police service as we speak."

He said police operations have resulted in a reduction of organised crime within the constituency.

"As a result, a monthly average of ten anti-crime exercises has been conducted in the three station districts collectively. That is to say Cunupia, Caroni and Las Lomas."

Hinds said exercises have also been held to build public awareness because public support is vital to the police's success in the fight against crime. Should resources in the division be affected by covid19, Hinds said support is provided from other arms of the police service such as the Emergency Reponse Patrol, Inter-Agency Task Force and the Guard and Emergency Branch.

"These initiatives have yielded a significant decrease in crime around the Caroni East constituency." He observed that in 2019 in Cunupia, there were 76 serious crimes. In 2020, Hinds said, that number was reduced to 75. "In 2021, so far, 44."

In Caroni, he said there were 22 serious crimes. That number, Hinds continued, fell to six last year and ten have occurred there to date.

"Altogether, you have a total of 170 in 2019, in 2020 a total of 93 but so far in 2021, a total of 63. A significant 63 per cent reduction in the figures when you compare 2019 to 2021."