Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander says the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service is unable to properly equip itself due to a TT$500 million debt, which he said occurred under the previous administration.

Speaking during the debate on the State of Emergency extension on Wednesday, he said the system he inherited was so financially crippled that even basic law enforcement requirements could not be met, severely undermining the country’s crime-fighting capacity.

He said the lack of vehicles, technology, and other operational tools was not accidental but the direct result of years of financial exposure and poor procurement practices within the service.