September 29, 2016: Senator the Honourable Franklin Khan, Minister of Rural Development and Local Government, met yesterday with the Minister of National Security, the Honourable Major General Edmund Dillon, and representatives of the Office of Law Enforcement Policy (OLEP) of the Ministry of National Security to discuss the reform and rapid recruitment of Municipal Police.
The Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government together with the Ministry of National Security are working together to tackle crime at the community level, by reforming the recruitment process to increase the complement of Municipal Police. The relevance of this process was clearly underscored during the Local Government Reform consultations earlier this year, where members of the public and representatives of the 14 Regional Corporations expressed the need for strengthening of the Municipal Police force in the Cities, Boroughs and Regional Corporations.
During the cordial meeting Minister Khan said, “As part of the Local Government Reform process, the Ministry will recruit eleven hundred and seven new Municipal Police officers to complete the fourteen hundred count as articulated in the PNM’s 2015 manifesto which has since become Government policy and our vision for effective local governance.”
According to this vision, the Municipal Police will take on more responsibilities to improve overall law enforcement efforts and to enhance public safety.
Minister Khan and Minister Dillon both agreed that there needs to be a total overhaul of the concept and definition of the Municipal Police in order to make it more relevant to the needs of the community. This exercise would be accompanied by a rebranding strategy to attract new recruits who will perform to the expectations of the community.
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For further information please contact:
The Corporate Communications
Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government
868-628-8285