Former commissioner of police Gary Griffith is warning Chief Secretary Farley Augustine about using alternatives for border protection on the island. He says putting highly trained officers into pirogues is not the answer.
His comments came in response to Augustine’s announcement on Thursday, that the THA will rent fishing vessels for the Coast Guard to resume surveillance patrols.
The Tobago Coast Guard has been without a vessel for almost four years. Augustine suggested a possible link between the island’s alarming murder count involving high-powered guns and the non-existent border surveillance.
Griffith yesterday described this suggestion as both “misguided” and a “disservice” to the Coast Guard’s personnel and shows a lack of understanding of border security. Griffith, now the National Transformation Alliance leader, is concerned about the THA’s proposal. He said the six Damen vessels, including a 50-metre patrol vessel, procured during his time as National Security Minister, remain unused
Griffith argued that the Coast Guard’s primary mission is to secure the county’s waters from two miles to 200 miles out, covering the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). He said placing these professionals in rented fishing vessels to patrol close to shore was a “blatant disrespect to their training and expertise.”
He spoke of his revival of the TTPS Marine Branch, which had been shut down for decades, during his tenure as CoP, noting this was done to enhance Tobago’s coastal protection.
Griffith said, “This unit was specifically designed to patrol the shoreline up to two miles out, working in tandem with the Coast Guard, which would manage the deeper waters.”
He added, “This initiative was supported by the Prime Minister at the time, who directed me to establish a similar setup in Tobago.”
Griffith claimed that both McDonald Jacob (former CoP) and Commissioner of Police Erla Christopher dismantled this initiative after his departure, leaving the island exposed.
“It is evident that under Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, driven by pettiness, and now Farley Augustine, driven by desperation and a lack of understanding of proper border protection operational policy, Tobago remains exposed to criminal elements,” Griffith said.
Contacted yesterday, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds said he wasn’t aware of Augustine’s announcement. He agreed to comment after familiarising himself with the matter but attempts to contact him later were unsuccessful.