Stakeholders on police shake-up: New strategies needed to tackle crime in Tobago

STAKEHOLDERS on September 14 welcomed the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service’s decision to reassign to Trinidad the two most senior officers in the Tobago Division.

They say although ACP Collis Hazel and Snr Supt Rodhill Kirk did their best in difficult circumstances to manage the island’s escalating crime situation, the nature of the scourge required a different, more aggressive approach. Tobago has to date recorded an unprecedented 22 murders for 2024.

Hazel and Kirk, both of whom are from Tobago, were transferred to the Tactical Unit and Southern Division, respectively, as part of a promotion and reassignment exercise last week. They are expected to take up their new assignments in October.

The men are being replaced in the Tobago Division by Ag ACP Oswain Subero and Snr Supt Earl Elie.

The moves comes as the island prepares to host its third annual carnival from October 25-27. Hazel and Kirk were heavily involved in discussions with stakeholders with respect to safety and security.

On September 10, Hazel told a news conference at the Shaw Park Cultural Complex that a security plan was being put in place and visitors would be safe on the island during the festivities.

Commenting on the transfers, the Tobago Business Chamber said it supports Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher’s decision.

“We, of the Tobago Business Chamber, always recognise and acknowledge the ability and authority of the commissioner of police to be able to deploy officers wherever the commissioner sees best. So when the commissioner takes decision such as this, it signals something to the population that she wants to see some sort of change, maybe she wants to see an improvement, maybe she thinks there are other persons who are better suited to lead the TTPS efforts in Tobago and she is going to deploy those persons to take charge,” the chamber’s chairman Martin George said a WhatsApp video.

He said Tobago should not be difficult to manage.

“We have repeatedly said that Tobago, being the smallest division in the TTPS, it cannot be that you are saying that it’s ungovernable and unmanageable.”

George said some of the island’s police officers waste too much time on “follies and frivolities.”

He said, “We have seen the police in Tobago engage in chasing down an obeah man and things that are of little moment and merit when you have at this present 22 murders that have rocked Tobago for the year thus far.”

George said the chamber endorses the change in Tobago’s police hierarchy “to shake up things in Tobago, to ensure that maybe you bring persons who are not so closely connected to the community, persons who are not from Tobago to take charge, to take leadership.”

He added the incoming senior officers “might bring fresh ideas, fresh perspectives and we may see some drastic improvement in terms of the policing effort and the efforts to reduce crime and criminality in Tobago.”

George said doing the same things over and over and expecting different results is the definition of madness.

“If this change by the commissioner is meant to show that she wants to try to get different results in Tobago to ensure that Tobago has the better perspective, then we fully support it.”

He said the chamber also supports the efforts of Minister in the Ministry of National Security Keith Scotland, who recently visited the island to meet with stakeholders.

“We continue to give Minister Scotland our fullest support in that regard and we certainly hope that we will see some positive changes and a definite improvement in terms of the level of safety and security in Tobago.”

Tobago House of Assembly Minority Leader Kelvon Morris said he was surprised by the news of the transfer but expressed gratitude to Hazel and Kirk for their contribution in navigating “an unprecedented crime landscape during a challenging period for our island.

He said given the realities “a shake-up of the leadership may not be such a bad thing and it is in this context I welcome the appointment of their replacements and look forward to new strategies that I hope will effectively address the alarming crime rate in our communities.”

Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce president Curtis Williams said his members want a solution on the crime situation.

“If this action could result in meaningful changes, giving us a sense of safety, we applaud the changes,” he said via WhatsApp.

Williams, too, thanked Hazel and Kirk for their contribution.

“I think they did their best but times are changing so the strategy used must be different.”