Opposition Leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, intends to seek the support of Prime Minister Keith Rowley to reintroduce a draft bill in Parliament to precept soldiers with police powers.
Speaking at the Siparia Women’s Association Kiddies Carnival in Bhupsingh Park, Penal, yesterday, Persad-Bissessar said the bill would help in the fight against the rising crime rate.
She added: “I intend to seek support of the Prime Minister for a private members bill which I intend to file in the Parliament to deal with protecting soldiers who are on duty with police and protecting civilians.
“What we had sought to do in 2013, we had brought the bill and it was called the infamous ‘police-soldier bill’.
“It is exactly the same thing the Government has now proposed to do but the concerns they raised then are still concerns today.”
Soldiers have been deployed to assist police in anti-crime operations following last month’s double murder of two schoolboys in Laventille.
In 2013, under then national security minister, Jack Warner, the Miscellaneous Provisions (Defence and Police Complaints) Bill 2013 was laid in Parliament.
Then attorney general Anand Ramlogan told the nation at the time that the legislation in place, the Defence Act of 1962, gave the regiment power to act only when a country was under attack or during a state of emergency.
The bill was passed in the Lower House on March 15, 2013 but did not get the support of the Senate.
Yesterday, Persad-Bissessar said she had already drafted a letter to Rowley and hoped he supported the bill but if he did not, she would bring it for debate as a private members bill.
Commenting on the addition of two members to the National Security Ministry, Persad-Bissessar said:
“We now have three persons there and I don’t know what that says about Minister (Edmund) Dillon that he is now given two additional persons... what it says about his competency.
“I am prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt and we are prepared as the loyal opposition in this country to continue to contribute, to co-operate with government when it comes to matters of crime- fighting.”