The Criminal Justice System in Trinidad and Tobago

• Author: Randy Seepersad/Dianne Williams
• Profession: Criminologist in the Department of Behavioural Sciences at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago/Coordinator of the Unit for Social Problems Analysis and Policy Development (USPAP)
• Pages: 1-18

Introduction

This chapter focuses on the criminal justice system in Trinidad and

Tobago and looks speciically at the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service

(TTPS), Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service (TTPrS) and the Trinidad

and Tobago Judiciary.

Trinidad and Tobago Police Service

The irst police force in Trinidad and Tobago was established by

Spanish settlers in the then capital of St Joseph At that time the Ofice

of the Cabildo or Town Council controlled the police force, which,

between 1592 and 1792, never numbered more than six. In this early

period police oficers operated only within the main city itself After

slavery was abolished in 1838 and over 22,000 men and women were

given their full civil rights, the responsibility of the police increased and

a ‘rural system of police’ had to be established. By the end of 1842, there

were  police stations and approximately   oficers comprising

inspectors, sergeants and constables.

In the mid-19th century, members of the Metropolitan Police were

brought to Trinidad on secondment. During this period, the Police

Headquarters was housed at the corner of Abercromby and Hart streets

in the present capital city, Port of Spain. The general procedure in the

case of an arrest in the 1840s was that once arrested, the accused was

taken to the station or, if he was recalcitrant, held while the sergeant

was called. All police stations were courthouses as magistrates travelled

from one police station to another; this was the case until 1844 when

trial by jury began In  the police were appointed the countrys irst

postmen and mail carriers, and the police stations were transformed

into post ofices the Mounted Branch was established for this purpose

In 1860, the police force was relieved of some of these extra duties. By

1869, an ordinance was initiated for better organization and discipline

of the police force.

With a more organized police force, greater police surveillance of

residents was provided. The police headquarters at the corner of St

Vincent and Sackville streets, Port of Spain, was completed in 1876

housing approximately 452 men. Over the years, the number increased

The Criminal Justice System in

Trinidad and Tobago

2CRIME & SECURITY

and other units were established such as the Trafic Branch and Special

Branch. By 1955, the need for policewomen to deal with juveniles and

female offenders had arisen. Under Ordinance No. 6 of 1955, 12 females

were drafted into the force. In 1966, the name was changed from police

force to police service. The focus shifted from being a militaristic force

to a service-oriented organization. By the 1970s, the police service had

grown in strength to 3,399 members and was placed under the portfolio

of the Ministry of National Security. Currently, there are 77 police stations

located within nine police divisions in Trinidad and Tobago. These are

staffed by approximately  police oficers

Over the last decade, crime statistics in Trinidad and Tobago suggest

that the police service is struggling to execute its function as an agent of

crime control. Nathan Pino (2009), in examining police statistics on the

number of offences reported to the police during the period 1962–2007,

argues that since independence in 1962 there has been a general increase

in murders. From 1962 to 1980, there were approximately 50–60 murders

per year. During the 1980s, the number gradually went up and remained

at an average of 100 per year until 2000. As the data in table 1.1 indicate,

within the last ten years, the majority of serious crimes in Trinidad and

Tobago have increased, though there have been very recent declines in

a number of offences. Despite the recent declines, however, crime rates

remain relatively high compared to other Caribbean countries.

This rising crime rate has on several occasions been id entiied as a

source of major concern for the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. The United

Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (2012) in the administration of

a victimization survey in Trinidad and Tobago in January/February 2010

found that 63 per cent of respondents indicated that delinquency and

crime were the issues of highest concern affecting the country. Stephen

Mastrofski and Cynthia Lum (2008) also noted that public opinion surveys

conducted in Trinidad and Tobago identiied crime as the countrys biggest

problem and showed that conidence in the police was low The less than

favourable view of the Trinidad and Tobago police service is not conined

to the adult population. Devon Johnson et al. (2008) in their analysis of

Youth Perceptions of the Police in Trinidad and Tobago administered a

questionnaire to 2,376 secondary schools students ranging in age from 13

to 18 years old. Respondents had a relatively negative view of the police,

regardless of whether they were asked about service quality, fairness of

treatment or police misconduct. It was discovered that 36.8 per cent of

respondents agreed that they were satisied with the services provided by

the police while a somewhat larger proportion (41.5 per cent) expressed

dissatisfaction with the police service.