Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said that she plans to split the Ministry of National Security into two Ministries, Home Affairs and Defence, if her party wins the upcoming general elections. 

She says Home Affairs will deal primarily with internal law enforcement while Defence will focus on matters such as protecting T&T borders.

She said the Home Affairs Ministry would encompass the internal security of Trinidad and Tobago and focus on crime deterrence, crime prevention and the judicial system.

The Ministry of Defence would protect the country’s borders from drug/human trafficking and terrorism. 

Persad-Bissessar said changes would also be made to the recruitment process of the TTPS, with recruits being required to possess at least a diploma in policing. She said degrees and diplomas in policing would be developed by the UNC and offered at UWI’s Debe/Penal Campus.

The Opposition Leader was speaking during the UNC’s virtual On The Ballot campaign platform on Thursday evening.