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30 Police Posts: Security Push Meets Questions Over Process
By Aurax Radio | August 8, 2026 | 2 min read
The government’s plan to establish 30 joint police-army posts across Trinidad and Tobago is facing questions over procurement, approvals and the suitability of at least one proposed location. The controversy intensified after construction preparations at Eddie Hart Savannah in Tacarigua were linked to an underground National Gas Company pipeline, while a complaint has been filed with the Office of Procurement Regulation seeking an examination of how the wider project was awarded.
The government plans to establish 30 joint police-army posts as part of its national security strategy.
The Eddie Hart site has become the most visible flashpoint in the rollout. Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation Chairman Josiah Austin said the structure was being placed over an NGC gas pipeline and questioned whether the relevant agencies were consulted before work began. Land and Legal Affairs Minister Saddam Hosein identified UDeCOTT as the executing agency for the project but declined to say whether all required approvals had been obtained, directing questions about the process to the state agency. The dispute has also become political, with government ministers defending the project and the regional corporation insisting that its concerns relate to procedure and public safety rather than opposition to increased police presence.
At the same time, attorney Randall Mitchell has asked the Office of Procurement Regulation to examine the procurement of all 30 posts, including how contractors were selected, the funding arrangements, tendering procedures and the overall cost of the programme. The complaint also questions whether the projects were handled as one procurement or divided into separate contracts and whether any emergency or national-security procurement provisions were used. Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro has defended the posts as mobile units intended to improve response times, strengthen police presence and provide operational bases, with locations informed by crime data. With construction already under way at several sites and the government planning to complete the rollout within four months, the central question is increasingly whether the urgency of the crime-fighting initiative can be matched by equally clear standards for planning, safety, procurement and accountability.
Sources: Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, citing the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation, government officials, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and the Office of Procurement Regulation complaint.
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