The posh apartments are part of a large upscale housing development at Hill Top.

The government is reportedly paying US$3,000 (TT$18,000) for each of the three-bedroom condos, which are fitted with air-condition units, a large swimming pool on the compound and round-the-clock security.

It is going to cost the State about $240,000 a month in rental and an agreement has been made to rent the apartments for three years.

The condos, which are privately owned, overlook the scenic Caroni plains.

Each of them cost $1.5 million and have all been sold out.

So far, 30 retired officers from the Metropolitan Service have arrived in the country and many of them have already taken up residence at Hill Top. A few of them were sent to Tobago.

But while the government is spending those huge sums of money on the retired British detectives, local police officers are complaining that they have to work in dilapidated and cramped police stations, and are hampered by a lack of vehicles and proper tools for the job.

This expenditure is in addition to the $4.5 million pounds sterling (TT$45 million) the government will be paying out in salaries to the 30-plus officers annually. Each officer is expected to collect TT$1 million a year, including perks.

In March this year, National Security Minister Martin Joseph told a news conference that 39 UK policemen will be hired to work with officers of the Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT), in the fight against crime.

During the Press conference, retired Scotland Yard Detective Chief Superintendent Dave King said the UK officers have a combined experience of 800 years in law enforcement and have among them, skills that contributed to the 95 per cent success rate in solving murders that the UK currently enjoys.

Some of the officers are expected to assist Homicide Division detectives in their investigations.

Police have been grappling for the past three years to curb the rising murder rate and gangster-style killings.

To date, there have been 150 murders.

But some officers feel that the British officers would have little success in helping to reduce crime “because they do not understand our culture.”