The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) is working on cutting police officers’ overtime bills, says National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds.
At the Parliament’s Standing Finance Committee (SFC) meeting yesterday, Opposition MP Rodney Charles questioned the decrease in the allocation for overtime.
The 2025 overtime estimate has been decreased to $400 million.
In 2024, $418 million was spent on overtime.
In 2023, some $377.8 million was spent on overtime for police officers.
Hinds said the TTPS has been making consistent efforts to reduce the overtime bill and gain more productivity from officers during regular work hours.
Opposition MP Dinesh Rambally asked whether morale would be affected by the reduced overtime allocation.
Hinds responded that he does not anticipate any impact on officers’ morale.
Rambally asked for an assurance that this would not affect policing.
Hinds said the Police Commissioner was mandated to manage the TTPS effectively to maximise productivity during normal working hours and reduce the need for overtime.
In response to questions from Opposition MP Saddam Hosein, Hinds shared the latest figures regarding the strength of the TTPS.
He said the actual strength of the TTPS was 6,450 personnel, while the sanctioned strength was 7,884.
The operational strength, excluding personnel on leave, was approximately 5,065.
Hinds noted the Government had mandated the recruitment of 1,000 police officers in fiscal 2023/2024, with 1,007 officers set to be inducted into service in March 2025.
There are 3,004 Special Reserve Police (SRP) officers, and consideration is being given to absorbing some into the TTPS, he added.
Questions were also raised by Hosein regarding a line item called “house rates”.
Hinds explained that this pertained to issues of building taxes and similar matters.
Hosein retorted: “So the TTPS has to pay property tax?”
Hinds replied: “Well, of course; if the TTPS is renting a building and the landlord imposes a demand, I expect that it will be met.”
Hosein then asked: “So you are allocating $5,000 for property tax for the entire TTPS, while someone with a very small home has to pay about $3,000 or $4,000?”
Hinds clarified that he did not say that, but acknowledged this is the allocation, and if more is required, adjustments will be made.
Opposition MP Dr Roodal Moonilal enquired whether a proper assessment had been conducted on the buildings occupied by the TTPS to estimate property taxes.
He noted the country was informed there was no imposition of commercial property taxes.
Finance Minister Colm Imbert interjected, stating that Section 16:1 F of the Property Tax Act makes it clear that land belonging to and occupied by the State and its servants is exempt from property tax.
He added that there is no property tax to pay on police stations, and indicated that the $5,000 is a residual tax owed from long ago.
He emphasised that house rates and property tax were different.
Moonilal also noted that the 2024 estimate for improvement works to police stations was $2.5 million, with a possible spend of $500,000.
He asked Hinds why the entire allocation could not have been spent to improve conditions at police stations.
Hinds explained that the improvement of police buildings was an ongoing process, and a procurement process must be undertaken before the works are performed.
The minister noted that in 2025, the focus will be on police stations in Maloney, Maracas, Fyzabad, Rio Claro and Couva.