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NATIONAL Security Minister Stuart Young has warned all boat captains – whether local or foreign – that transporting migrants into TT is illegal and qualifies as human trafficking under the law.
Speaking at an award ceremony for police and soldiers at the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) headquarters on Friday, Young said anyone found attempting to transport illegal immigrants is liable to criminal charges.
He also called on the police to continue their fight against criminals noting that while 2020 has been an eventful and challenging year for law enforcement, there was need for the police to “push harder” against criminals in the new year.
“I am asking you as the people charged with the responsibility of upholding the law, investigating and charging people for criminal activity, think about that and understand there is a concept in law called aiding and abetting.
“To anyone driving a van load full of illegal immigrants, you are aiding and abetting in human trafficking and at minimum human smuggling if those people are unregistered illegal immigrants and in 2021 with you all (police) leading at the front and me at your side and I will be in front if I could be, let’s take the fight harder this year to the criminals.”
Young also lamented how a certain attorney had information on the location of a boatload of migrants outside TT’s territorial waters and the authorities did not and questioned how the person had this information.
He said the fact that an attorney could have such information was enough to warrant an investigation.
During his address, Young also announced that the IATF model which involves the use of joint police and army resources would be introduced in the North Coast to tackle criminal gangs. Noting the success of the IATF in east Port of Spain and Laventille, Young said he believed the introduction of the task force would be an asset to communities in the North Coast.
“That’s to fight the criminal gangs who bring in illegal narcotics et cetera so it’s something we’re exploring. It’s a little too early to tell you much more aside from the conversation that the (Police) Commissioner, the Chief of Defence Staff and myself have had is that we recognise we want to put some more resources up on the North Coast so one of the ideas we are exploring right now is to use a concept similar to the IATF.”
Asked how soon the IATF would be introduced to the North Coast, Young said “very soon.” IATF head Snr Supt Oswin Subero said the task force has been working at full capacity to do their part in reducing crime and tackling criminals, noting his unit’s success in reducing murders by 54 per cent from 2008 to 2020.
“We had over 150 homicides in our area and we say thanks to God that in 2020, we have 20 and if we could roll it back to make it 19 we will try to do that.”
Subero said the police were also exploring the possibility of the IATF’s model being applied to Oropune. The first awards ceremony was held in 2004 and sought to highlight the contributions of police officers and soldiers to the fight against crime and the empowerment of communities in east Port of Spain and Laventille.
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