By Sue-Ann Wayow
JUST over half of the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed nationwide are functional.
On Sunday, Member of Parliament for Oropouche East Dr Roodal Moonilal claimed that this was one of the reasons why police seemed to be inefficient at solving criminal cases.
For Trinidad and Tobago combined, 46% of the cameras were not fully functional, he said.
Speaking during the Opposition’s press briefing the MP claimed that in Trinidad, there were 730 working CCTV cameras out of 1,607.
“They have functional with limitations,” Dr Moonilal said admitting that he was unaware of what limitations there were.
He said, “Is either a camera working or it working.”
In Tobago, 90 cameras were working out of 189 which meant that 52% of the Tobago cameras were not working.
Dr Moonilal also said that although $27 million were spent on mobile scanners for vehicles transporting guns and ammunition and they too were non-functional.
He said the perpetrators of crime would not be speeding so as to raise suspicion with police officers but they could be caught if the scanners were functional.
Dr Moonilal said, “Last week at a Standing Finance Committee, we raised certain matters because we have information. The Government itself, the Ministry of National Security gave us the data on the amount of CCTV cameras that are operational at this time.”
“It is something that we keep our finger on because there was corruption in the tendering process for CCTV cameras,” Dr Moonilal claimed.
Last month, he had called on the Government to undertake an independent investigation into the procurement by the Ministry of National Security of an upgrade to the current national (CCTV) network.
Dr Moonilal also maintained that National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds has not done enough to protect the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago by ensuring that all cameras and scanners were working.
Opposition Senator Wade Mark also spoke at the briefing.
