MINUTES after speaking about border security, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley boards a Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard vessel patrolling the waters of Trinidad and Tobago.
Dr Rowley will spend the night onboard the TTS Scarborough. He is joined by Captain Lt Commander Ray Frederick and crew for a patrol on Thursday evening.
This was posted on Dr Rowley’s Facebook page.
He will be accompanied by Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds and Acting Chief of Defence Staff Group Captain Kemba Hannays.
During the post-Cabinet press briefing at Whitehall on Thursday afternoon, Dr Rowley said, “As part of our strengthening our border arrangements, which we have to work on all the time because as you know, we have a marine border all around us Trinidad all around Tobago, and not just standing, our best efforts, persons who attempt to penetrate us from time to time would succeed and we keep sharpening it and we plan to improve our Northern and Eastern Patrolling capacity by having more up to date and modern facility in Tobago.
He said, “We did ask the United States to help us in the technical side of that and as soon as that is over, the government of Trinidad and Tobago will move towards constructing a more modern and effective Coast Guard presence in Tobago.
“Either the Northern part of Tobago, probably in the Northwest and we currently have technical people from the United States in Tobago yesterday, today, helping us to select the site and to also move forward with the design and the construction.”
Dr Rowley said, “When we do get that, it will make it much easier and more effective for us to patrol one of the areas where we could get some significant unauthorized entry and on the North Coast of Trinidad, the East Coast of Trinidad and of course all-around Tobago.”
He said, “We are receiving a lot of training opportunities, and we did get some small craft from the United States, and we are moving towards having our vetted staff in the police service interact with and share information on crime-fighting with the United States agencies and their personnel.
“All of this can only be for the good of the people of Trinidad and Tobago safety and security.” – with reporting by College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAAT) intern Faith Edwards
