New spy agency soon in Trinidad & Tobago

Newsday, By NALINEE SEELAL Thursday, February 3 2011

AN IMPLEMENTATION committee to facilitate the merger of the Special Anti-Crime Unit (SAUTT), the Security Intelligence Agency (SIA) and the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) into one legal corporate body known as the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) will be put in place at the end of March.

Government sources revealed yesterday that the committee will comprise senior persons from the three units, as well as a foreign consultant. According to well placed sources, the committee will be responsible for disbanding the three units, choosing staff needed for the NIA and pooling together all machinery to have the NIA up and running.

When the committee completes this exercise, the recommendations will be taken to Parliament for the NIA to become the legal corporate body. However, in order to facilitate the formation of the NIA, Parliament should abolish the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) and the Act that created this agency should be repealed and replaced by the National Intelligence Agency Act, a Government source said yesterday. This body should be in place by September.

This means hundreds of persons employed at the three agencies could be out of jobs because of the duplication taking place. According to the Government source, at the end of March 31, police and Defence Force officers who were seconded to SAUTT will be required to return to the service which they came from, while the foreign police officers’ contracts at SAUTT will be terminated.

Retired officers who work on contract at SAUTT will report to the implementation committee, pending the merger of the three units. Newsday understands the headquarters for the NIA will be Riverside Plaza in Port-of-Spain, which now houses the SAUTT.

Yesterday operatives at the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) told Newsday while they have no problem with change, because change is inevitable, they feel that some of them may be victimised for various reasons, and they are eager to find out if they will be absorbed into the NIA or be given an excellent compensation package.