Joint chambers, CoP to meet March 22

MEMBERS of the Joint Chambers will meet with Commissioner of Police (CoP) Erla Harewood-Christopher later this month to discuss crime.

The joint chambers consist of the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce, TT Manufacturers Association (TTMA), American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham) and the Energy Chamber.

They issued a statement on March 1, requesting a meeting with Christopher.

On Tuesday, TT Chamber president Charles Pashley said, "The meeting with the CoP is set for March 22."

He added that the details of the meeting, such as time and venue, are still to be determined.

In a statement, the joint chambers said, "We have already requested and received confirmation of a meeting with the new CoP and, as always, the business community remains willing to assist as crime reduction in the country is of paramount importance to the nation."

The joint chambers said violent crimes have been at alarming and unacceptable levels for some time now.

"This is a major impediment to investment, the ease of doing business and overall has a tremendous negative impact on the well-being of citizens who either are victims or are constantly in fear of falling victim to crime."

The chambers understood that Christopher was only appointed in February and "has had limited time to make an impact on crime reduction in the country."

They were hopeful that Christopher will implement measures that can bear positive results. Indeed, they said, it is encouraging to hear about the goals that are being set for the TTPS.

The joint chambers also suggested the Police Service Commission should publicly publish targets and have the police service report on these on a quarterly basis.

They also suggested Christopher should do the same for her divisional commanders.