Every encounter with a police officer in Trinidad and Tobago is a moment where lives, rights, and dignity are at stake. A traffic stop. A search. A checkpoint. A call for help. In these moments, citizens face the full power of the state — often with no independent record of what happens next.

Right now, too many of these encounters rely on trust instead of truth.

When disputes arise, citizens are frequently left with nothing but their word against an officer’s. That imbalance damages public confidence, fuels tension, and leaves both citizens and police unprotected.

Body-worn cameras are a proven solution. Around the world, they are now standard practice in modern policing. Where body cameras are used consistently, complaints fall, use of force declines, investigations are resolved faster, and trust improves. Cameras protect citizens from abuse of power and protect professional officers from false accusations.

This issue is personal because every one of us will interact with the police at some point. No citizen should have to fear that their safety, freedom, or dignity depends on whose version of events is believed. Truth should be recorded, not argued.

In Trinidad and Tobago, the value of body-worn cameras has already been publicly acknowledged. Yet deployment remains limited, inconsistent, and unenforced. Some officers are not equipped. Others are not required to activate cameras. When cameras are not used, there are often no consequences. This gap undermines accountability and deepens public mistrust.

Body cameras are not anti-police. They are pro-professionalism, pro-safety, and pro-justice. They deter misconduct, encourage respectful behaviour, and strengthen confidence in law enforcement on all sides.

We are calling for clear, immediate action:

Equip every TTPS officer with a body-worn camera
Require cameras to be worn and activated at all times while on duty, with limited, clearly defined exceptions
Enforce clear rules and consequences for failure to comply
Accountability should not be optional. Transparency should not be delayed. If the state exercises power over the public, that power must be recorded.

Sign this petition to demand mandatory body-worn cameras for all police officers in Trinidad and Tobago — because safety, fairness, and truth matter to all of us.