Augustine: Social services to assist Tobago's crime fight

The island’s crime plans are being reviewed amid a surge in murders.

Tobago recorded 14 murders in 2023 and had its first murder for 2024 on January 1.

THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said he has met ACP Collis Hazel on the matter.

Responding to a question from the media on Wednesday on the crime situation, Augustine said he and Hazel have already discussed strategies and how the THA can help with those measures, so that they can be more effective.

He said the public would be apprised of the plans at a later date.

“Of course, in the most responsible way, because an element of successful crime-fighting also has to include an element of surprise to those who have attention to nefarious activities, but certainly quite a lot is happening in the background.”

He added: “What we also intend to do at the THA level is to ramp up community services, because we spend a lot of our resources on hardware. I think where we have to put more investment is in social cohesion, community services and getting in particular our younger people engaged productively for longer hours during the day.

"It has to also include how we as a community take responsibility for what happens within our community, and if it is you reside within a community, you know all the people who selling drugs in your community, they live home by you – you are benefiting from it. Then you are also part of the problem and so as a community, we have to ask ourselves if we are doing enough.”

He said in terms of murders, one must admit not enough is being done.

“Certainly, as the government of the island, we intend to so more and insist on doing more. But that also has to be met with the community also doing more to ensure that we have safer communities.”