SOCIAL SECTOR INVESTMENT PROGRAMME
32
SUSTAINING GROWTH, SECURING PROSPERITY
CHAPTER 3: NATIONAL SOCIAL SITUATION
were held in the month of June 2013 (with
two clinics being utilised to provide services
to members of the Ministry of National
Security).
iii. Outreach programmes to schools
-Officers
of the Community Policing Secretariat
conducted 49 outreach programmes to
schools during the months of October
2012 to March 2013 with the major aim of
establishing positive relationships among
the TTPS, the schools’ teaching staffs and
students.
iv.
Sports and Culture Project
- This project
aims to foster team spirit and positive
community interactions through sports, and
cultural activities. The Ministry supported a
number of community activities under this
initiative which included the following:
• Beetham Gardens Sports and Family
Day - 15 July - 31 August 2013;
• Dan Kelly Sports and Family Day - 18
August 2013;
• South East Port of Spain Achievement
Organisation (SEPAO) 11th Annual
Emancipation Event - 28 July 2013;
• Sea Lots Community Council Summer
School and Sports Camp - 30 August
2011.
3. S
UPPORT
TO
M
EDIATION
S
ERVICES
CommunityMediationwas first piloted inTrinidad
andTobagoonOctober02,2000,asanalternative
dispute resolution mechanism. The vision of the
Community Mediation Programme is to promote
a culture of peace, that facilitates healing and
harmony in communities. Mediation services are
currently provided in the areas of: Port-of-Spain,
Arima, Cunupia, Point Fortin, Couva, San Juan,
Rio Claro,Warrenville, Tunapuna and Laventille.
Division is currently pursuing the establishment
of additional centres in Penal, Arima and San
Fernando.
4. R
EFORM OF
J
USTICE
The GoRTT acknowledges that reform of the
justice system and the rehabilitation and re-
integration of offenders are critical to building “a
safe and secure society”. The Ministry of Justice
is the agency charged with strengthening the
institution of justice and promoting timeliness
and equality within the administrative system.
The milestones achieved by the MOJ are
highlighted hereunder:
• The Administration of Justice Indictable
Proceedings Act No. 20 of 2011
was assented
to in June 2012. The Act abolishes the system
of Preliminary Enquiries in Trinidad and Tobago
and replaces it with ‘a sufficiency hearing’. This
system is expected to ensure expeditiousness
and eliminate the lethargy and backlog
currently plaguing the Criminal Justice System.
An implementation plan was developed and
is currently being rolled out to ensure that the
necessary infrastructure is in place to support
the legislation.
•Administration of Justice - Deoxyribonucleic
Acid Act No. 5 of 2012 (DNAAct)
was assented
to on May 10th, 2012. The Act introduced
provisions such as:
• taking intimate samples from an accused
or a convicted person with or without their
consent;
• extending the categories of persons from
whom intimate and non-intimate DNA
samples can be procured (such as inmates
at the National Youth Training Centre,
deportees to Trinidad and Tobago and illegal
immigrants detained at the IDC); and
• expanding the range of DNA databases.
It is expected that the introduction of these
measures will assist offender management
by facilitating, inter alia, the examination of
statistical data on offenders to feed into the
offender management system.
• Administration of Justice Electronic
Monitoring Act No. 11 of 2012
was assented
to on July 3rd, 2012. Electronic monitoring
