The Tribune

By Riel Major

Tribune Staff Reporter

rmajor@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames said contracts should be signed soon with the approved vendor to provide body cameras for law enforcement agencies.

In addition, Mr Dames said the police force was making progress over the introduction of other crime fighting tools such as expanded CCTV coverage, drones and the full implementation of the MARCO alert system for missing children.

Mr Dames said officials are finalising contracts and hope to sign those documents soon. He said: “Hopefully in another two weeks or sometime this month or the beginning of next month so the numbers are showing we are seeing some positive results in our efforts, so we’ll continue to do it. 

“Shot Spotter technology where it is currently implemented, we are hoping to expand it this year it is reap tremendous results. The officers are now proactively responding to incidents within 30 seconds of initiation and so we are moving the right directions.”

He said despite best efforts, there is no country in the world with zero homicides. “The police job is to do their utmost to prevent, to do their utmost to apprehend because you’re not going to solve anything. We ought to be proud about is due to the effort of the police we are moving in the right direction. The approach we would have taken as a government which is a multi-agency multi sectoral approach. 

“We’re talking about controlling people’s behaviour and we just have quite a bit of our young men who are engaging in all of the wrong activities and they’re fighting over drugs and turf.

“It’s our job to ensure we put a lid on that. Sometimes we have to adjust as a result of incidents and react and change strategy you know. But with the introduction of the technology and the new strategies that are being employed we have already begun to see the (results.)”