(Trinidad Guardian) National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds has admitted that more than 60 per cent of the vehicle fleet of the T&T Police Service (TTPS) either needs repairs or will have to be written off.
Responding to questions from Opposition members during a Standing Finance Committee (SFC) session yesterday, Hinds said 546 of the 2,219 TTPS vehicles required repairs, while an additional 826 vehicles were inactive and would need to be written off.
However, he assured that TTPS vehicles were not in shortage, as 2,000 new vehicles were on their way for 2025 and 2026.
He said in the first tranche, the TTPS would receive 500 new vehicles.
But, with so many vehicles in poor condition at present, the Opposition questioned whether a decrease in both vehicle maintenance and fuel allocations would lead to new vehicles depreciating quickly.
The TTPS allocated $500,000 for vehicle repairs, but Hinds said if adjustments were needed they would be done.
Asked if he felt the allocation was sufficient to maintain the 500 vehicles, he said yes.
Hinds said, “Yes, and just to reflect that this allocation is for maintenance and if you are expecting an influx of new vehicles, maintenance costs will be lower in its earlier existence. The Government has mandated that a specialised agency VMCOTT will be the agency that will deal with the maintenance of police vehicles.”
He also addressed concerns that officers are telling the public they cannot respond to calls because they do not have vehicles at the station.
Hinds said, “The question to the public as to whether the police would not have vehicles and would report to the public that is so, it ought not to be and certainly from the mandates that we have, it’s unlikely to be so in the foreseeable future.”
He said in recent times, the TTPS received 50 new vehicles.
Another 197 were recently ordered according to him, some of which had already been delivered.