THE government is moving to set up a highly sophisticated “spy unit” with police officers who are being trained at the new Specialist Crime Academy at Camp Cumuto, Wallerfield, East Trinidad.

The unit, which will be patterned like the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the MI-5 in England, will replace the ineffective Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT).

And according to reliable sources, a number of the specially selected officers with tactical skills, will form the nucleus of a “Palace Guard,” will be assigned to Prime Minister Patrick Manning when he takes up the new post of Executive President of the Republic.

Currently officers of the Multi Operation Police Section (MOPS), which is a part of Special Branch, carries out guard duties for both the President and Prime Minister.

In the past Special Branch was used to gather intelligence on opponents of the government, any attempt to destabilise the country and national security issues.

These functions are now carried out by SAUTT, with the high-tech “spy” equipment from Israel.

A number of police officers who are being selected for the academy are post-graduates in various academic fields.

The recruiting exercising is now underway.

Sources told TnT Mirror one of the criteria for selection is that you must have close links to the government or be the holder of a People’s National Movement (PNM) party card.

Officers of the intelligence-driven SAUTT have so far failed to put a dent on the spate of murders and the gun-running and narcotics trade.

Members of SAUTT are also undergoing training at the Academy, which is headed by one of the retired British police officers currently in TnT on a mysterious “crime-fighting” assignment, and Senior Superintendent Carlyle Williams, who recently retired from SAUTT.

Other participants at the academy will include Prison, Immigration, Defence Force and Customs officers, attorneys and accountants, who will specialise in corruption investigations.

Our sources revealed that accommodation for officers at the academy can be compared with that of any police training college in the UK on the United States.

This new unit (like SAUTT) would report directly to the Minister of National Security.

A source said: “The government is preparing for when it wins the next general election.

“There are fears that this new-type CIA squad will be involved in phone-tapping, monitoring Public Servants and politicians, who Manning fears may be a threat to him even within his own People’s National Movement.

When National Security Minister Martin Joseph opened the academy last month, he said it would address the training needs of SAUTT, while providing professional development training and specialist investigative training for the Police Service.

Joseph said the curriculum at the academy was modelled in accordance with the UK standard and the UK Central Police Training and Development Authority.

He said agencies from the United States have also come on board as trainers at the academy.

Cops are asking if some of them are retired CIA and MI-5 officers?

The specialist training will include terrorism and counter-terrorism, surveillance, intelligence analysis and management, covert operations and operational and tactical skills geared towards deterring and responding to acts of terrorism.