EMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN REVIEW OF CRICKET SECURITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L PORT OF SPAIN 000445

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA/CAR, INL/LP
BRIDGETOWN FOR NAS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/10/2016
TAGS: PREL SNAR KCRM TD
SUBJECT: EMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN REVIEW OF CRICKET SECURITY
ASSISTANCE

REF: PORT OF SPAIN 00171

Classified By: DCM, Eugene P. Sweeney for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Trinidad and Tobago is starting to
seriously prepare for the 2007 Cricket World Cup (CWC).
Although we would like to assist, post operates in a complex
assistance environment. The government is wealthy enough to
purchase technology, but needs to invest further in its human
resources by providing adequate training. Additionally, T&T
agencies can be jealous of their equipment and capabilities
and rarely share information or resources with each other.
Post has compiled a list of training and equipment provided
since 2005 that can help with CWC security preparations. END
SUMMARY.


2. (U) The 2007 Cricket World Cup (CWC) is just under one
year away and security preparations in the region, and
especially in Trinidad and Tobago, are just now gaining
momentum. Post has compiled a list of security assistance
that we have given to T&T so that we, and Washington, can
make better-informed decisions as we receive requests for
training and equipment to augment local security capacity for
CWC.

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ASSISTANCE ENVIRONMENT
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3. (C) Post's agencies work in a complex assistance
environment. The Government of Trinidad and Tobago (GOTT)
has enough oil and gas wealth to invest in big-ticket crime
fighting and deterrence technology, and they proactively seek
out technological assistance to fight crime. However, the
GOTT is less proactive about identifying training or
instituting personnel policies that would ensure that
officers remain in place long enough to make the best use of
the equipment. Possibly, this is because the GOTT is unaware
of areas that would benefit from additional training or is
unsure of how to best develop a dedicated cadre of
professional law enforcement officers. In light of this
situation, we generally look at sustainable training programs
or augmenting equipment purchases as the best use of our
extremely limited funds.


4. (C) The Customs and Excise Division (within the Ministry
of Finance) apparently poses a particular difficulty. The
new Comptroller of Customs seems to be holding the
GOTT-funded US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Advisory
Team at arm's length as he develops his "Business Plan" for
the division. The Customs and Excise Comptroller has not
assigned officers to staff a Criminal Investigation Unit,
proposed by CBP, which would serve to investigate the Customs
and Excise division to root out corruption. Also, when the
CBP team has proposed strategic plans or training initiatives
to the Comptroller or the Minister of Finance, the GOTT
reacts positively, but fails to assign sufficient resources
to see the project through. Largely, Customs and Excise
points to staffing problems, or to a lack of adequately
trained personnel, but this seems a thin excuse when the
proposed training plans and strategic planning initiatives
would rectify this problem in the long run.


5. (C) As Customs and Excise has partial responsibility for
patrolling T&T waters and for compiling information on
travelers as they arrive at the airport or seaport, they are
a key agency within the GOTT for security efforts. Further,
the different divisions within the Ministry of National
Security rarely speak to each other or share information.
This unfortunate lack of cooperation means that agencies
often make the same request to multiple agencies, meaning we
must exercise care to avoid duplicating assistance given by
others, or we might receive similar requests for equipment
(for example, internet communications equipment) from
different divisions within the same ministry.

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EXISTING CWC-RELATED ASSISTANCE
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6. (C) Since 2005, the USG has provided the following
CWC-relevant security assistance to the GOTT (See also Post's
End Use Monitoring report (reftel) for a comprehensive
listing of all INL-funded equipment provided to the GOTT.):

- May 2005: Anti-Kidnapping Training
- July 2005: Regional Contraband Training
- September 2005: Crisis Negotiation Course, offered to the
Anti-Kidnapping Squad


- March 2006: VIP Major Event Security Management Training
- March-April 2006: Annual Tradewinds joint military exercise
- April 2006: Caribbean Regional Intelligence Conference for
members of national defense forces
- 2005-2006: Canine training academy, so far has trained 12
canines in bomb and narcotics detection and crowd management,
one certified instructor and two assistant instructors
- ORA-donated regional counterterrorism information sharing
computer network and training
- ORA counterterrorism training provided to many CWC
participant countries in the region


7. (SBU) Important security assistance donated prior to 2005
that will have an impact on CWC includes the following:

- Computers and "Train the trainer" training for officers
from both Customs and Immigrations to establish a Passenger
Analytic Unit (PAU) at Piarco Airport. The PAU allows GOTT
officials to search information related to incoming
passengers to identify targets of interest.
- Two go-fast (1,000 horsepower) interceptor boats donated to
the Coast Guard
- Three shallow-draft boats donated to Customs and Excise

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CWC PROJECTS IN THE PIPELINE
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8. (C) We are in the planning stages, or close to
implementing, the following trainings and projects.

- Replacing or refurbishing shallow draft boats for the
Maritime Interdiction Unit of the TT Customs and Excise
Division
- Refresher training for Passenger Analytic Unit (PAU)
(Customs and Immigration officers) at Piarco Airport
- Expanding the Passenger Analytic Unit at Piarco Airport to
track passenger flight patterns, obtain advance electronic
passenger manifests and possibly identify terrorist threats
- Visa fraud detection training
- Training for four more law enforcement dogs, specifically
for Tobago


9. (SBU) Post is also aware of the WHA-funded IOM border
security system project. However, IOM is in the initial
phases of crafting the scope of the project. It might come
online just prior to CWC, but we should not rely on it to
solve all of T&T's border security issues.

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ASSISTANCE REQUESTS TO BOLSTER CWC SECURITY
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10. (C) The GOTT has asked post for assistance in the
following areas. Most of them are specifically related to
CWC, and some look more broadly at raising the competency of
GOTT law enforcement.

- The Ministry of National Security pitched an Intelligence
Conference to be held in London for all CWC stakeholders and
interested parties. The goal is to establish intelligence
sharing protocols (as opposed to "information sharing")
among the participants in advance of CWC. They estimate the
conference will cost $100,000. The GOTT offered to fund half
the cost and asked the UK, Canadian, Australian and US
Embassies to consider funding the remainder, possibly with
one embassy as a co-sponsor. (NOTE: Post has identified
$20,000 for this conference. END NOTE.)
- Infrastructure protection/terrorist detection training,
specifically for the liquefied natural gas transportation
infrastructure
- Event security training provided by the FBI or BATF, and
possibly personnel to augment the police and other law
enforcement agencies during the event.

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IDENTIFIED NEEDS
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11. (SBU) One area that Post has already identified for
additional assistance proposals is to automate data
collection at ports of entry. Currently, immigration
officers rely on handwritten declarations and a rudimentary
computer system that is not linked to advance passenger
manifests. They also lack passport readers for
machine-readable passports, although the GOTT is soon to sign
a contract to procure this system. We will notify the
Department as further critical needs are identified.

AUSTIN