Sandy: Young girls top list of missing people.
By Ria Taitt
Trinidad Express Newspapers | Feb 15, 2012 at 3:19 PM ECT

The overwhelming majority of people reported missing in the country between October 1, 2010 and July 31, 2011 were girls between the ages of 11 and 17 years.

National Security Minister John Sandy, responding to a question in the Senate yesterday filed by PNM MP Fitzgerald Hinds, said some 882 people were reported missing during that period. He said 855 have been accounted for and 27 are still classified as missing.

Sandy gave statistics which showed that in 2007, out of 453 people reported missing, some 284 were female (while 169 were male).

Of the 284 women reported missing, some 218 were girls in the 11 to 17 age group.

The second highest number of reported missing women (26) was in the 18 to 25 age group, with the other age groups accounting for a minuscule number.

To a much lesser extent, the highest number of reported missing males (42 of the 169) were in the 11 to 17 age group, with males in the 18 to 25, 26 to 33 and 34 to 41 age groups running closely behind and collectively accounting for a substantial number of reported missing men.

In 2008, out of 608 people reported missing, 364 were women (while 244 were men). Of the 364 reported missing women, 345 were in the 11 to 17 age group.

By contrast, out of the 244 missing men, some 52 came from the 11 to 17 age group, while 44 came from the 18 to 25, 37 from the 26 to 33 age group, 25 from the 34 to 41 age group and 27 from the 42 to 29 age group.

In 2009, out of a total of 907 people reported missing, 534 were women while 273 were men.

Of the 534 women reported missing, 358 were in the 11 to 17 age group.

In the men reported missing, the highest number came from the 26 to 33 age group (78), with the 18 to 25 age group running closely behind (67), followed by the 11 to 17 age group (63).

In that year a considerable number of the men reported missing (34) were in the 65 years and over group.
Sandy said the Police Service continues to pursue missing persons cases with urgency so as to avoid or minimise the possible harm to the victims and alleviate the distress experienced by family members.

He also responded to another question on the measures taken to deal with cases involving corrupt practices and unethical behaviour in the Police Service and Defence Force.

He said among the initiatives was the engagement of auditing firm Ernst and Young to conduct a review of the Defence Force’s financial systems and processes.

He said changes had been implemented in the procurement department to ensure the Defence Force’s compliance with statutory regulations.

He also recalled a Professional Standards Bureau was established in the Police Service on July 15, 2011 to ensure investigation of claims that are criminal in nature were conducted impartially.

He said there was also an expansion of the military justice system and the military accounting system and consideration was being given to the introduction of the Judge Advocate General and Internal Audit function within the Defence Force, to minimise the opportunity for corrupt practices and unethical behaviour.