NEW Commissioner of Police (CoP) Erla Christopher promised a reduction in murders by June, at her first public grilling by Parliament's Joint Select Committee (JSC) on National Security at Cabildo Chambers, Port of Spain, on the day TT recorded its 104th murder compared to 92 for the same period last year.
Committee member Jayanti Lutchmedial feared that the current murder rate was on a trajectory to end up at 1,000 murders by year-end, as she said the population was traumatised by last year's death toll of 600. She asked the CoP what was her time line for her strategies to produce results in reducing murders.
Christopher replied, "We'd expect to see a change in the murder rate short-term by June, and long-term by December."
Lutchmedial asked if that intended crime reduction would include an increase in the detection rate for murders.
Christopher replied, "Yes, indeed. Presently (sic) our detection rate is under 13 per cent.
"It is my intention and that of my executive to focus more on the forensic, the use of DNA technology and ballistics."
She referred to Sen Supt (Homicide) Rishi Singh who said the time line to get ballistics results was usually six months, unless expedited in special cases to one week.
Lutchmedial, an attorney-at-law, lamented cases she knew of where the police had to wait one year to 18 months to get ballistics results, this time then delaying the start of the relevant court case.
In her opening address earlier, Christopher said she felt honoured and humbled in her new post, for which she thanked MPs, adding that she thanked God for appointing and anointing her to that job.
"I want to assure the national public that it is my intention to bring about meaningful changes in the policing of our country to ensure we are properly able to manage crime and criminal activity."
She said she was finalising her crime reduction strategy document – to be given to the JSC within 14 days – which she said had four pillars – namely: precision policing, intelligence, proaction and prosecution.
Explaining that most crimes were done by just a few individuals, she promised to dismantle gangs and reduce the number of drug blocks in TT, under the strategy.
Christopher promised to increase police visibility, increase detection and prosecution of crime, and increase accountability and transparency within the police service. She vowed to target prolific offenders and gang leaders, while promoting a positive image of the police.
Committee chairman Keith Scotland asked what Christopher had meant by once referring to the storm before the calm.
She replied, "We are implementing new strategies to deal with violent crime. As the strategy takes effect we will see a reduction. So it's the storm before the calm."
Asked about the equipping of her officers with body cams, Christopher said the TTPS had 1,100 body cams which are allocated to 1,000 front-line officers across ten divisions, the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) and Guard and Emergency Branch (GEB.)
"We are procuring 400 more within the n
