Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander sought to clarify the process for issuing a Preventative Detention Order (PDO), stressing that such orders are not issued by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, but instead is the result of a legal, intelligence-driven process.

Minister Alexander stated that Preventative Detention Orders pass through a multi-stage intelligence and legal review process before reaching the minister for approval and being sent back to the police for execution.

“It’s an investigation that takes place by different agencies. Intelligence agencies. And from there. Information is gathered. And there’s a series of things. The intelligence comes to the legal officers at the PDOs. The legal officers now will send it to an outside legal agency. That legal agency will now send it to a legal source from the Homeland Security. And then it comes to my desk. I look at it. With the information that is on it. And I place my signature. And hand it back to the police.”