History

The Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago was established in November 2003. In announcing SAUTT’s establishment, the Prime Minister, the Honourable Patrick Manning stated the Government’s intention to “declare war on criminals” and to “…do whatever is necessary, within the law, to return this nation to the state where our people can conduct their lives with the safety and security to which they are entitled.”

The need for an organisation such as SAUTT came about largely due to escalating crime on the national landscape characterised by unprecedented violence and an increasing degree of sophistication. The Government felt that the  proliferation of these offences demanded a new approach to law enforcement that went beyond conventional policing.

Within days of the Prime Minister’s announcement, the Director designate, Brigadier Peter Joseph, assembled a small staff to conceptualise and design the organisation. Experienced officers were drawn initially from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force and other agencies within the Ministry of National Security. By January 2004, SAUTT was made up of slightly in excess of 100 officers, all on loan from their parent agencies, distributed among three directorates: investigations, intelligence and operations.

With a bold and structured approach to intelligence gathering and sharing, operational coordination with other agencies and reliance on modern law enforcement technologies, SAUTT commenced execution of its mandate.