Prime Minister Kamla Persad-BIssessar
These Coast Guard Interceptor vessels will be the internal line of maritime security whereby, from the several strategically placed Coast Guard installations, they would patrol the bays, coastal areas and shore lines to 4 miles out.
8 June, 2011 SALUTATIONS: His Honour Mr Ivor Archie, Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago The Honourable Timothy Hamel-Smith, President of the Senate The Honourable Wade Mark, Speaker of the House of Representatives Senator the Honourable John Sandy, Minister of National Security My fellow Cabinet colleagues Members of the Diplomatic Corps Members of Parliament Members of the Judiciary Chief of the Defence Staff, Brigadier Kenrick Maharaj Other Heads of Divisions in the Ministry of National Security Specially invited guests Members of the media Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen A very pleasant good afternoon to one and all. Today’s ceremony is a very important one, as it deals with our nation’s security strength and its ability to defend our country against crime and its perpetrators on an aerial front. As such, it is an event which is both timely and important, as the commissioning of these two state of the art helicopters, with their multiplicity of technological capacities, signify delivery of my Government’s promised commitment to ensure that the crime situation in this country is tackled with resolve, efficiency, dedication, and most importantly, with definite results. My dear friends, the Minister of National Security has already given you the many details of the very advanced technological abilities of these helicopters.
Likewise, he has spoken of the various training initiatives that will follow to ensure that these aircrafts are used to the maximum benefit of the citizens of this country, and to achieve results in crime fighting. So I will not rehash these details, only to say that without doubt, the acquisition of these helicopters will go a very long way in ensuring that crime suppression is boosted. My dear friends, when I outlined various aspects of Government’s crime plan in the past year, one of the things I sought to continually stress was that our plan was much more than a long list of quick-fix remedies, but rather, a careful, long-term plan to make Trinidad and Tobago’s security systems strong again after too many years of neglect and mistakes. In the past year, our measures may have taken time to bear fruit, but they have borne fruit. A key indication of this is the decrease in the crime statistics—which was highlighted by an Express report of June 5, which stated and I quote: “For the first time in four years the country's murder toll has not crossed the 200 mark after the first week in June. According to the Express tally the murder toll is currently 166 which is the lowest figure the country has recorded in four years. For the comparable period last year the murder toll was some 59 murders more and stood at 225. According to the Express tally the murder toll for 2009 and 2008 for the comparable period were 232 and 211 respectively and 123 in 2007.” I will cautiously venture to say that this is truly the beginning of results in our fight against crime and in my Government’s efforts to rebuild our country’s defence systems and strengthen our security apparatuses to ensure that we win the fight against the criminal elements. A major philosophy of my Government’s crime plan has always been to reduce crime risks by maintaining a strong deterrent and by seeking genuine control over our detection, prevention and suppression rates. "Deterrence" means simply this: making sure any criminal who thinks about attacking our citizens in any manner concludes that the risks to him or her outweigh any potential gains. Once he or she understands that, they won't attack. We maintain the peace through our strength; weakness only invites aggression. This strategy of deterrence has proven to be quite effective internationally, but in today’s highly technological world, we must take full cognisance of the fact that what it takes to maintain deterrence has changed. Twenty, or 15 years ago, it took one kind of security force to deter or detect criminals, but today, it takes another kind— one which requires strong technological components -- and I wish to point out that our crime plan is based on being prepared to meet all these threats. There was a time when we depended on only land based and marine based vehicles to fight the criminal elements, because, frankly, that was all that was needed to do so. But today we live in a different world and a different reality and our defences must be based on recognition and awareness of the technological strength possessed by the criminal elements and our firm commitment to not only matching them, but beating them. And so, I firmly believe that these aircrafts will go a long way in boosting our technological strengths in our fight against crime. As Minister Sandy has told you in detail these aircrafts have been designed and outfitted to be multi-mission helicopters that can operate independently of maritime based assets in the protection of the nation’s maritime boundaries and resources. As such, they promise to be invaluable as the Government of Trinidad and Tobago renews its impetus and enhances its efforts in the fight against international drug trafficking, human trafficking, environmental destruction, unsustainable marine-resource exploitation and disaster management and relief. Further afield, these helicopters will assist in strengthening our regional security partnerships by providing an unprecedented capability to the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. This is so as the Defence Force, under the direction of the Government, now has the capability of projecting search and rescue and disaster relief efforts to our smaller Caricom neighbours during their times of need and peril, as well as providing increased and improved surveillance though the Regional Marine and Airspace Agreement. In Augusta Westland the Government of Trinidad and Tobago has found a leading partner with a wealth of expertise to build the human resource capacity of the nation in the aviation industry. Already AW and the Ministry of Science and Tertiary have engaged in preliminary discussions with regard to possibility of providing technological and technical expertise to the UTT in the establishment of an Aviation Academy. This Aviation Academy is an important investment in the future generations of our nation and is undeniable evidence of the government’s ongoing commitment in developing a more skilled society with a diverse economic base. NEW NAVAL OPERATIONAL PLAN On that note, I wish to take the opportunity here today to outline some details of my Government’s new Naval Operational Plan to you, and by extension, the general public, which we believe will also go a very long way in our crime fighting efforts. We have constantly heard from a desperate Opposition that the Peoples Partnership Government scrapped the National Security plans of the previous Government because we wanted to increase the drug trade. As I have said, one of the main aims of my Government prior to and since attaining office was to improve the safety and security of our nation.
This included protecting our shores from the illegal entry of drugs, weapons, ammunition and immigrants, all of which contribute to increased crime in our country. What we met from the previous Government was nothing other than cosmetic plans and policies that did nothing to fight the crime scourge and only served to enhance the debt for taxpayers, by billion dollar blimps and OPVs. As it fell to my Government to right these wrongs, both in national security shortfalls and economic mismanagement, we scrapped the OPV deal and thus saved billions of dollars which can now be used for other more critical and productive National Security assets. That decision by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago involved guidance and agreement from highly qualified security experts, inclusive of several previous and present high ranking Officers of the Defence Force, including previous Chiefs of Defence Staff, and Officers who were assigned to the project. Additionally, advice was acquired from many international officials, Diplomats and local and international security consultants, who also confirmed that there is and will never be a need to have such an armada of three OPVs to fight the illegal supply of drugs, weapons in an island of this size, and a more appropriate naval plan should be utilized, which is exactly what the Government is now pursuing. We are in the process of ensuring that the money saved from the OPV deal will now be utilized in the correct manner to ensure a proper and more effective three pronged defensive naval operational plan to safeguard our country, one that is virtually impenetrable. The new border protection and naval operational plan will involve, in its first line of defence, at least 12 Coast Guard installations strategically placed around the island, with fast patrol interceptors assigned specifically to each installation, and this will ensure that the country will now be properly secured, or locked down, which could not have been done by one OPV simply patrolling 100 miles off our East Coast, as this is not where the majority of drug and weapon smuggling was coming from. Each installation will have two fast patrol interceptors with high speed capability patrolling 24 hours per day or in a position to be on immediate stand by. This will ensure a rapid reaction with the crew onboard being armed and awaiting word to slip or in some cases tied off on a buoy at sea, of which there will be a specific area of responsibility for each installation to secure. These Coast Guard Interceptor vessels will be the internal line of maritime security whereby, from the several strategically placed Coast Guard installations, they would patrol the bays, coastal areas and shore lines to 4 miles out. In the second line of defense, these installations will be ably supported by the six fast patrol larger crafts already in service to patrol our territorial waters from 6 miles to 12 miles from our shoreline. These boats would be assigned to the various bases such as Galeota and Tobago and they will be on patrol in their sector only and can act as a back up to the interceptors. In the third line of defense, we will have a Long Range Patrol vessel, which would be 60–75 metres in length, much less costly, more maneuverable and adaptable to our shores than the OPVs, and hence of greater value, which will patrol from 12 miles to 200 miles from mostly the North and East Coast. This would provide security for our Exclusive Economic Zone, and protect our resources in this zone, just outside our territorial waters. The 360 degree radar will now finally become effective and useful, as any vessel entering our waters illegally can now be intercepted by such vessels. The interceptors would be assigned to the Radar centre which should have the authority to vector the interceptors to any target. There will also be communicational linkage with the relevant Police Units in closest proximity to those Coast Guard installations, and all of this communication will be under the umbrella and supervision of the National Security Operational Centre which would also be implemented shortly. The Radar center had this and it works so if the radar is tracking a target they should be allowed to contact the NSOC and request police /Army assistance as they will be able to state where the boat will be coming ashore. And this is where these new helicopters would be involved in the process of a multi-pronged border operational plan.
The two Augusta Westland Twin Engine multi-purpose helicopters which we have acquired today will patrol our shorelines and work alongside these Coast Guard installations and the interceptor vessels patrolling our waters as well as the 6 Fast Patrol crafts and the Long Range Patrol vessel patrolling the North and East Coast. They will provide the powerful eyes, at day or night around our island to act as a support element for the Coast Guard in the patrolling of our borders. The Radar center would have the capability to speak to the helicopter crew and the Coast Guard vessels so that a combined effort can be made. This will ensure not just a major deterrent to stop the illegal drug trade and illegal entry of weapons and immigrants, but also provide the much needed assistance that our citizens are pleading for on a daily basis when our fishermen are being attacked by pirates, to vessels and crew in distress around the coastline. The approximate cost for such a comprehensive security operational plan can cost over $1000 million dollars less than the OPVs, and still ensure greater visibility and security for the fishermen and pleasure craft users who are not presently protected and also ensure a greater deterrent for any illegal entry of vessels into our shores. The cost for the OPV was approx. $ 800 million TT each, and this did not include several hidden costs which the taxpayers would have been burdened with which was not stated in the contract, such as fuel and sewerage lines, test firing of weapons and so on. If our shoreline is not protected through basic coastal patrolling and surveillance, then having massive and virtual battle vessels will most certainly not do the job of the basics, which is securing our coastline. We did not need to use an expensive sledgehammer to kill a fly. We need fast, maneuverable vessels, to work in a specific area, all of which locks down the shoreline, in tandem with the support of these helicopters and the 360 degree radar to advise the relevant coast guard installation of a vessel approaching their Area of Responsibility, whether it be any of the installations responsible for securing all our coastlines. CONCLUSION:
My dear friends, since Independence, we have spent enormous resources in acquiring security might and now, when our country most needs it, we must not stop.
The criminal element was emboldened in the past decade to extend their power by the seeming lack of willpower and proper policy to deal with crime.
I say to you today as I have done before—no more. Our crime fighting strategy means we need security and defence equipment that reflect the highest standards, quality and advancement of today’s technology and human resources which are trained and ready to respond to any situation. Every item in our security and defence programmes - our naval vessels, ships, our aircrafts, our land patrols, our training for our human resources - is intended for one all-important purpose: to make our country safe and secure from the various and numerous criminal elements that threaten our citizens. I took some time with you here today to dispel some of the allegations that are out and open in the public domain and to assure you that the Minister of National Security and the Ministry, together with those who are in our protective services, all in the protective services, whether you are a policeman or woman, whether you are a soldier, whether you are a sailor or whether you are a air man, we need everyone of you to continue to partner with us and we want to thank you for your effort thus far. In that regard I want to repeat my undertaking to every single one of you in recognition of the special service which you give to our nation, in securing or nation and our people I indicated before and I will repeat that in the new budget that is to come every soldier, every sailor, every air man, every police officer, every prisons officer will get a special duty allowance of $ 1000 per month. We can work with our resources of the material kind, equipment. We could have all the equipment but if we do not have the men and women in the protective services to use the equipment, if we do not have you ladies and gentlemen we will not succeed. In this regard I say to you may God continue to bless each and every one of you, may God continue to bless our nation. Thank you very much -END-
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