Praedial Larceny Squad engages agricultural stakeholders at community meetings

Over the last month, the Praedial Larceny Squad (PLS) (South/Central Investigation and Intelligence Unit) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries engaged in four (4) stakeholder meetings in the  Barrackpore and Princes Town districts. These, according to the Superintendent of the PLS, Mr. Murchinson Alexis, were strategically undertaken in an effort to address imminent concerns and discuss new and innovative strategies relative to the execution of effective policing in the aforementioned communities.

The first of these meetings took place at the Hamilton Drive Church in the Borde Narve community on 04/03/ 2021 and was attended by Officers of the Princes Town Police Station and members of several interest groups within the community. Subsequent meetings were also held at the Barrackpore Police Station on 04/03/2021 and 25/03/2021 respectively; the former being a collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Municipal Police Service, the Health Inspector for the County Victoria district and the Estate Management and Business Development Company Limited (EMBD) State Lands Unit. The fourth and final meeting took place at the Princes Town Police Station on 18/03/2021 and included the views and suggestions of some eleven (11) watch groups, all of whom were represented by their respective Executive members.

For the period 01/03/2021 to 18/04/2021, the PLS (South/Central Investigation and Intelligence Unit) conducted a total of thirty-eight (38) mobile patrols; interviewed some 314 farmers and 154 vendors; visited 669 farms; stopped and searched some 375 vehicles and successfully embarked on a total of ten (10) joint patrol exercises in the South / Central region.   

Persons interested in contacting the PLS can call any of the following telephone numbers:

• Superintendent, Mr. Murchisson Alexis: 729-2006
• Assistant Superintendent, Mr. Brian Bruce: 703-0881
• Administrative Office, El Carmen: 669-3566/ 756-4122
• Northern Division Station, El Carmen: 703-0888
• Eastern Division Station, El Carmen: 743-3454
• Central Division Station, El Carmen: 671-7147
• Southern Division Station, Princes Town: 655-9893

Praedial Larceny Squad combats the illegal conveyance of agricultural produce and livestock in farming communities!

A total of twenty-one (21) farmers and fourteen (14) vendors were interviewed by members of the Praedial Larceny Squad (PLS) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, in a joint patrol and road check exercise which took place on Thursday 15th April, 2021, in the Carlsen Field and Freeport areas.

The exercise, aimed at targeting persons who may have been conveying agricultural produce and livestock in the absence of a farmer’s / vendor’s card or a memorandum of sale / delivery, was conducted in conjucnction with the Trinidad and Tobago Municipal Police Service and the State Lands Unit of the Estate Management and Business Development Company Limited (EMBD). These two (2) latter entities treated more specifically with traffic offences and State land issues, respectively, as they arose in the conduct of their stop and search checks along the following three (3) intersections:-

i. Yaraba Road and Connector Road Junction;
ii. Thompson Road and Caparo Valley Brasso Road Junction; and
iii. Arena Road and La Cuesa Road Junction.

In addition to generating some forty-one (41) stop and search forms and issuing tickets for various traffic offences, yesterday’s three (3)-hour exercise was a clear demonstration of the effectiveness of strategic collaborations amongst the protective services and State agencies.

Praedial Larceny Squad Appointments at MALF

The Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries (MALF), recently appointed Mr. Murchinson Alexis and Mr. Brian Bruce to the positions of Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent of the Praedial Larceny Squad (PLS), respectively.

About the PLS Management Team

* Superintendent Murchinson Alexis

Superintendent Alexis joined the PLS as Assistant Superintendent in 2015. Prior to that, he spent most of his professional life as a Police Officer, teaching and training at the Police Academy. Additionally, he has over eighteen (18) years of experience in the areas of Traffic Laws, Customer Service, Ethics, Policing for the People and Police Duties. Superintendent Alexis is the holder of a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management, a Post Graduate Certificate in Business Management (with specialization in Strategic Planning) and an Associate’s Degree in Management for the Protective Services.

Superintendent Alexis is also a Minister of the Church of Christ at Curepe, a marriage counselor and has a special love for family life. His strong leadership attributes and overwhelming success in the implementation of numerous strategic programmes at various institutions over the years would no doubt add value and bring the nexus required for the effective functioning of the PLS.

* Assistant Superintendent Brian Bruce

A foundation member of the PLS since its inception seven (7) years ago, Assistant Superintendent Bruce previously held the position of Inspector for the South/Central region. Prior to that, he served as a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service for some thirty-two (32) years, where he was elevated to the rank of Inspector (Ag.), Stolen Vehicles Squad. Assistant Superintendent Bruce also spent twenty-three (23) years of his tenure in the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) where he operated in most of the crime fighting units such as the Anti-Kidnapping Unit; Firearm Interdiction Unit and the Special Investigations Unit with the New Scotland Yard of England.

Mr. Bruce has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice.

PLS Inauguration Ceremony

In speaking at an Inauguration Ceremony for both officers on Friday 9th April, 2021 at the Municipal Police Academy in Gopaul Lands, Marabella, Superintendent Alexis said that while he was cognizant of the fact that he was assuming office during a period of economic constraint, there was need for “innovation and vision”. He noted too that there was need for the “pooling of both physical resources and expertise ”, in order for the PLS to function optimally. In his address to representatives from MALF, the law enforcement fraternity and farming community, Superintendent Alexis added: “Members of the farming community – some of whom are present today – have great expectations of us and we are therefore committed to strive for excellence as we perform in our new positions to meet and exceed those expectations. Further, having regard to the many challenges that lie ahead, it is therefore incumbent on us all to take on a collaborative approach, if we are to sustainably achieve our objectives.”

Artwork of MALF Staffer adorns the Rotunda Gallery of the Red House

April 9^th, 2021:- Completed some fourteen (14) years ago by a Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries employee – Ms. Chemiene Baptiste – a 36 inch x 24 inch acrylic (on canvas) painting depicting a scene from the ever popular Caroni Bird Sanctuary, earned its place as one of the main attractions of an environmental art exhibit, currently featured at the Rotunda Gallery of the Red House. The piece titled, ‘SANCtuary’, which was done back in 2007 as a part a tertiary-based Visual Art Certificate Programme, quickly became a forerunner amongst art enthusiasts who attended the ‘See the Beauty Around Us: Caring for our Environment’ Exhibition, which premiered at the nation’s seat of governance, late last month (March 2021).

Ms. Baptiste, an Illustrator (and graphic artist) attached to the Extension Training and Information Services (ETIS) Division, said she had learned about the Exhibition from one of her colleagues, Agricultural Officer I, Ms. Rebecca Roberts-Bain, who encouraged her to submit her work which evidently made its way amongst the crème de la crème. She explained that the 1886 technique she employed was that of pointillism which involved painting in small, distinct dots of colour, applied in patterns to form an image. Such an intricate task she said was one of the main reasons why the piece took several hours per day for close to three (3) months to complete and as per dimension, remained the most time-consuming of all her art pieces to date.

According to Ms. Baptiste, another peculiar feature about ‘SANCtuary’ is that the artwork was also her last named piece. The reason she advanced for not placing a title to her artistic expressions since then was one based purely out of respect for the ‘beauty’ which lied in the eyes of the beholder. She said: “I believe that everyone comes away with something when they look at a piece of art. I am of the opinion that when a piece is named, observers tend to try to find some representation of the name attributed to the work instead of taking away their own experience of how the piece made them feel intuitively.”

This graduate from the University of the West Indies (B.A. Visual Arts) who credits herself as an artist since her early childhood, said she felt blessed to be able to have a job that was not only her passion but one which enabled her to express the world in the manner she perceived it to be. By her own admission, Ms. Baptiste continues to be multi-dimensional in her approach, incorporating several elements from paintings and computer-generated designs to wire bending and installation pieces. “However an artistic piece chooses to manifest itself in this realm, I am able to inhibit it; not as the creator but simply, as its conduit,” she added.

Persons interested in viewing Ms. Baptiste’s artwork as well as others featured in the Exhibit at the Rotunda Gallery of the Red House are asked to contact 701-6133, in order to schedule a visit between Monday to Thursday, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. The Exhibition ends on Thursday 22nd April, 2021.

The Management and Staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, take this opportunity to congratulate Ms. Baptiste on this very noteworthy achievement.

RAS in ongoing Locust Management Regimen in St. Patrick West County

March 24, 2021:- The Locust Management regimen in the St. Patrick West County is currently ongoing with several exercises being conducted by the Regional Administration South (RAS) Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, at different locations in recent times.

Previously, the area was affected by both the Cedros and Moruga Locusts, however for 2021, only Moruga Locust activity has been observed. The major areas affected by a heavy to medium emergence of hoppers include: Granville Road, Bowen Trace, Chatham and environs. Over the last ten (10) years, there has been a high level of locust activity at the sites aforementioned due to heavy deforestation and other human activity which have led to pest incursions in both agricultural and more recently, residential communities in the area.

Locust management includes a combination of three (3) main activities:

1. Education and sensitisation of residents, farmers and forest users about the locust and on the importance of reporting any sighting or activity of locust to the Ministry;
2. Surveillance by the Ministry’s Locust Management Team and;
3. Spraying activity if and when necessary (chemical controlled approach).

Education and sensitisation of citizens is a year round exercise undertaken by the Extension Officers attached to the St. Patrick West County, using various methods including social media, community meetings, demonstrations / workshops and advisory visits.

Surveillance for locust activity takes place throughout the year and involves the following:

• Surveillance / Mapping of Oviposition sites (egg beds);
• Surveillance of emergent / hoppers and;
• Surveillance / Mapping of flight paths of adult swarms.

Surveillance was conducted in Santa Flora, Palo Seco, Erin, Sand Pit Road, Fyzabad and Coromandel. These are areas where prior activity had been observed in years gone by, however, no such activity has been observed thus far.

In excess of one hundred and forty four (144) hectares have been surveyed for 2021 to date. This figure is cumulative and includes repeated surveillance activities.

Spraying activities are conducted using both mist blowers as well the cannon sprayer using either Propoxur or Ethrine Plus (active ingredients). Only forested areas or areas close to farmers’ holdings are sprayed. Households are not sprayed as the locusts generally move within a day or two and there is no direct threat to humans from the locusts themselves. Spraying of households can trigger major concerns for the overall health of animals and livestock. Additionally, it also creates deleterious effects of potable water in rural areas.

Forested areas are sprayed with the Propoxur mainly using the Cannon sprayer and areas close to farmers’ holdings that are threatened by possible locust infestations are sprayed with the Ethrine Plus. Thus far, in excess of sixty six (66) hectares have been treated and this figure also includes repeated treatments in infested areas. As a result of the surveillance and spraying activities, the Agriculture Ministry has been able to keep crop damage by the Moruga Locusts, to almost negligible.

To date, only juvenile Moruga Locusts have been sighted with a mix of nymphal stages presently ranging from first instar to third instar. From the Ministry’s observations of their development, the Moruga Locusts are expected to take flight in swarms from mid to late April as they traditionally do.