As the global economic situation reels from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the conflict in the Middle East, it is expected that this will have further adverse effects on the social fabric and, by extension, increasing crime and violence in different parts of the world. At the same time, with these adverse economic circumstances, governments, including law enforcement agencies, face increasing risks of reductions or insufficient resource to tackle those challenges. This is likely to put further pressure and burden on the law enforcement personnel, who will be expected to do more with even fewer resources. In the context of Trinidad and Tobago, in the past years, there has been an increase in gang-related violence, including the murder rate, kidnappings, and other offenses. While the state has made efforts to reduce crime, including the announcement of the recent state of emergency, the country continues to see an escalation in violent crime and insecurity. With this in mind, it has become imperative to explore alternative models for enhancing public security. Mirroring general global trends, the private security sector in Trinidad and Tobago has grown phenomenally, employing over 50, 000 private security personnel, outnumbering public security forces by a factor of 1.6. This symposium explores leveraging the vast resource of the private security sector for enhancing overall security through the police-private security collaboration.

The organization of this symposium has been motivated by the empirical research conducted by the faculty of the Institute of International Relations at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Dr. Michał Pawiński and Dr. Annita Montoute.Public Security in Trinidad and Tobago. The findings will serve as the background for the discussing the possibility of enhancing public security through collaboration between the private security industry and law enforcement agencies.

Together with Mr. Carlos Neptune, Chairman of Trinidad and Tobago Private Security Association, we were hosted by the TTT Now Morning Show on February 12th at 6.30 am for an interview concerning public security and the Symposium.