VETTED UNIT UNDER CONTROL OF  CoP SAYS PM - video Dailymotion

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Who will control the new vetted unit in the Police Service, the members of which are to receive special training from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration?  The Opposition sought a response to that question from the Prime Minister in Parliament on Monday.  Juhel Browne reports.

Transcript

00:00Just days after a memorandum of understanding was signed between the

00:04United States and Trinidad and Tobago to establish a vetted unit in the Trinidad

00:09and Tobago Police Service, Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley faced

00:12questions on the matter from Kuva South MP Rujunath Indar Singh on behalf of the

00:17opposition. Will the Prime Minister inform this house on the proposed

00:22composition of the said unit and whether stakeholder consultations have taken

00:28place? The proposed composition of the vetted unit would include members of law

00:34enforcement entities from Trinidad and Tobago with the lawful authority to

00:39investigate major transnational organized crime. They would be supported

00:46by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency during their investigations.

00:51Extensive stakeholder consultations were held over the past year from initiation

00:58The MOU for the establishment of the vetted unit was signed late last week by

01:03US Ambassador Candace Bond, National Security Minister Patrigeel Hines and

01:08the Special Agent in Charge of the Caribbean Division of the US Drug

01:11Enforcement Administration Denise Poster at the office of the Trinidad and

01:16Tobago Police Services transnational organized crime unit. In the House of

01:21Representatives the Prime Minister clarified exactly who will be in charge

01:25of the new vetted unit. What will be the reporting relationship of this these

01:32officers from the respective law enforcement agencies. Madam Speaker

01:38reporting relationships remain the same the vetted unit would be under the

01:43control of the Commissioner of Police and reporting arrangements remain the

01:47same. And in response to another question from MP Indar Singh on whether the

01:52compensation packages for members of the vetted unit will differ from those

01:57in the police service the Prime Minister also made mention of elements of the

02:01military. Madam Speaker I would not venture to interfere with the compensation

02:09package of officers whether they come from the Coast Guard, the Defence Force

02:12or the police as they do their work under the existing arrangements. The US

02:17Embassy said in a statement late last week that the vetted unit will receive

02:21specialized training so that they can work more closely with US law

02:25enforcement agencies to disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal

02:30organizations. Jule Brown TV6 News

VETTED UNIT UNDER CONTROL OF CoP SAYS PM

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