Acting CoP promises Aranguez residents by phone: More police cars, community patrols

Acting Police Commissioner McDonald Jacob says more police vehicles are expected to hit the streets by March 31.

ACP Operations Joanne Archie called him on the phone during a town hall meeting with residents at the Aranguez Community Centre, on Thursday afternoon, after several residents raised concerns over a lack of police patrols in their neighbourhoods.

Archie putthe call on speakerphone, allowing Jacob to address residents directly. He promised them an additional batch of vehicles would be released by the end of the month.

Jacob said he was optimistic they would go a long way towards providing an additional sense of security in these communities.

He added that other initiatives including traditional foot patrols would also begin in various areas to tackle crime.

He said: "We are acquiring vehicles within the next few days and weeks (so) that all divisions will be outfitted with vehicles so that we can be able to do more effective patrols." Motorbikes would also be used, he said, in what has been dubbed the inner city motorcycle patrol. It will patrol "not only on the bus route and the highway, but also within the various commercial areas...

"I am assuring you all that we will get the number of vehicles required to do the job, and with the support of the motorcyclists, but we must also ensure the basic, traditional policing strategy of foot patrols will also be done in the district."

He said as of Thursday the vehicles were being outfitted with sirens and lights and officers were being trained on how to ride the motorcycles.

Jacob said a new strategy would be introduced under which officers would be assigned to patrol designated areas within a community which would require them to know the layout and residents within their assigned areas.

He said the Barataria police station would also be outfitted as an operational command centre to monitor CCTV footage from different areas, adding that this would require a partnership between residents and businesses using security camera footage to widen the monitoring.