Augustine proud of 'reversal' of Tobago murder rate

Chief Secretary and TPP leader Farley Augustine at a recent political meeting. - TPP

THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said spiralling crime and murders on the island have been controlled under the current Tobago People’s Party (TPP) administration.

At a TPP meeting in Patience Hill on December 11, Augustine said one thing he was not proud of in the last four years was the two bloodiest years in the island's modern history.

“Last year, we had our largest murder rate at around 24 and the year before at 14. I vowed that after last year that whether we had the responsibility or not, this THA would make it its business in ensuring that we keep the island of Tobago safe, and tonight I am happy that if we are to compare Tobago with any other part of the country, we, unlike any part of the country, have been able to reverse a high murder rate so we are significantly down from 24 last year, and that’s not by accident."

Under the THA Act, central goverment is responsible for national security. However, this has been a bode of contention with calls recently for the hief Secretary to be afforded a seat on the National Security Council.

Augustine said the THA used its own means to address the issue.

"That is actually because this THA decided that we would invest in our young people. We would invest in the national security apparatus, and we would invest to the extent that we can keep our island safe.”

He said some radical steps needed to be taken to keep the island safe. A proposal for a local police force in Tobago has been accepted by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

“We have had murders on our shores and after the murders happen, people jumping pirogues and big boats and sail away. Me ain't see no radar, me ain't see no Coast Guard stop them. We had robberies up to this year – a casino robbed, they escaped with the money by boat and then we sent TEMA to put up the drone to see where they are. Coast Guard couldn’t get to them because Coast Guard needed gas for their boat.

"I am saying to you, Tobago, that is unacceptable and the Tobago that we preside over must take some radical decisions to keep this island and to keep our people safe, and that we must do without any apology whatsoever.”

TPP’s prospective candidate for the district, Nigel Taitt, is back trying to represent the district after election in 2021. He holds the portfolio of Assistant Secretary of Food Security, Natural Resources, the Environment and Sustainable Development with responsibility for Fisheries.

Augustine commended Taitt for the “sterling job he had done these four years.”

He said he did not know Taitt before 2021 but he showed his mettle by defeating former PNM Tobago Council leader Tracy Davidson-Celestine in the last THA elections.

"There was a lady who went away to a far, far country, spent out all of Tobago’s birthright, all that we have given to her, and decided that she was coming back home as a prodigal daughter on a zipline, but when she come, she said, 'No, I can’t face Farley up in Speyside.'

"She run down in Patience Hill/ Signal Hill and the mighty man "Taittos" (Nigel Taitt) just done she political career. And come January 12, 2026, Taitt will do it again by holding on to this seat right here in Patience Hill/ Signal Hill.”

He added: “We are not afraid of their faces – we are approaching this election without fear because we are confident that on every single deliverables we have outperformed any single four years of the PNM, and we are confident campaigning on that on the platform and on the ground. This election, we have to appreciate that you need a team of people who are willing to fight and stand on your behalf even in areas for which we don’t now have responsibilities.”

Taitt asked the residents to be the judge of his work during the first term.

“I believe that I worked hard both in my division and in the electoral district. I don’t sit in office, I like to be in the field with my people – you know why? Because it is you all that put me here. I am your humble servant and I will remain your humble servant for the next four years because I know come January 12, 2026 at 6 am to 6 pm we shall all head to the polls, look for the anchor, look for the name Nigel Dave Taitt and put the X by my name for the Tobago People’s Party.”

Taitt announced plans for a connector bridge between Signal Hill and Spring Garden, a road in the vicinity of the George’s residence at Winchester Lane, road paving at Tranquility Heights in Signal Hill and Cemetery Trace in Lambeau, the upgrading of the community centres in Signal Hill and Patience Hill as well as the erection of a playpark in Spring Garden.