THE Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) has received 67 new Toyota Rav4 vehicles at an estimated cost of $23 million.
On Tuesday, the TTPS officially received the vehicles in a handover ceremony at the Police Training Academy in St James.
The vehicles were obtained through an acquisition process that began last year.
The new fleet will be distributed across all ten policing divisions and specialised units with each division having at least three new vehicles.
Speaking at the ceremony, Acting Commissioner of Police Junior Benjamin promised increased visibility of officers.
He said, “It is a significant step forward to mark the collective efforts to secure this nation through the fact that we have some more mobile vehicles that will be used for safety and security,”
Benjamin added, “These vehicles are symbols of our commitment to faster response time, greater visibility in our neighbourhoods, and also to enhance our capabilities in the service of the police as it relates to T&T.”
He also blamed the proper maintenance of vehicles on financial constraints.
The TTPS was managing the disposal of unserviceable units through the Office of Procurement Regulation (OPR) system Benjamin added.
Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander said he wanted the new vehicles to be used immediately.
“Members of the public have been asking for that presence and visibility of law enforcement to prevent crime and other infractions of the law, which is our duty and responsibility,” he said.
Alexander also said that officers must enforce the law and not just be another vehicle on patrolling the roads.
He said, “Let the members of the public see law enforcement officers all over this country again.”
Last October, former national security minister Fitzgerald Hinds had told a Standing Finance Committee 546 police vehicles needed repairs and 826 were to be written off and that the TTPS had 2,219 vehicles.
He announced then the TTPS procured 166 vehicles.
The TTPS received 93 and an additional 73 were expected to arrive in December.
