PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago government has announced the establishment of a National Security Special Operations Group to deal with criminal activities in the country.

But National Security Minister Gary Griffith made it clear that the new unit comprising, highly trained and specialised people capable of dealing  with hostage negotiation, counter-terrorist activities and gang warfare, was different from the Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT) that the coalition government disbanded soon after coming to office in 2010.

Griffith, speaking in the Senate on Tuesday, said that rather than have a special task force “what we are having now is a National Security Special Operations Group” which is necessary in the battle to deal with crime in the country.