HOMELAND Security Minister Roger Alexander says dogs could be the first weapon which people use to protect themselves and their families from home invasions even as he acknowledged that not every person may be able to access firearms.

He made this observation while responding to questions during a stand-your-ground (SYG) consultation at UNC Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal's constituency office, Debe Junction on August 5.

Alexander's statement prompted a constituent to claim people in certain communities in Oropouche East had been quietly paying a private security firm to protect their homes for a year and a half and it was now getting difficult to continue to do so.