Government has saved just over TT$3 million in the recent acquisition of police vehicles.
Last July, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley denied a request by former police commissioner Gary Griffith to purchase 80 new Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) to the tune of TT$22 million
On Thursday, through the Vehicle Management Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (VMCOTT), the first tranche of vehicles approved by Cabinet last October was handed over to the TTPS.
Delivering the feature address, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds said the 31 vehicles comprising of sedans, SUV’s and pick-ups will augment the current fleet and improve police patrols.
He warned officers against misusing the vehicles.
The minister said, “It is unthinkable, as has happened before that police officers on suspension, in front of the courts as we speak, desecrated the institution to use those vehicles to go and commit crime, but police detected it, intercepted in and charged them for it.
These vehicles must not be abused, they must be maintained.”
Acting Police Commissioner McDonald Jacob said the vehicles will be immediately added to the fleet and put to use.
“There are several police officers around who are here to collect the vehicles which will be going to various divisions to assist the commanders in their patrols over the Easter and beyond,” he said.
According to VMCOTT’s chief executive officer Natasha Prince, police officers needed to display greater responsibility when using the new vehicles as it can impact the maintenance bill, which has been a cause for concern.
She said, “Treat these units like they are your personal vehicles, in my operations I have seen vehicles naturally being neglected and the mind set of us in Trinidad and Tobago is it’s not mine, it’s the government so I don’t have to pay for it, you may not have to pay for it directly but indirectly we are all paying for it.”
Prince also confirmed that VMCOTT has since collected $2.5 million out of the $14 million owed to the corporation by the TTPS.
