The City Police

Charlotte Street
Section of Charlotte Street, downtown Port of Spain

The Port of Spain Municipal Police Service is well over one hundred and fifty years in existence, having been first established around the year 1592 during the time that the administration of Trinidad was under the control of the Spanish Cabildo.

Under the Cabildo, the Mayor was also Chief Magistrate and the Chief of Police. He was entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining and enforcing law and order enacted by the Cabildo for good government. The city Hall was used to house the office of the Chief of Police and was the only station on the island of Trinidad.

In those days, citizens were reluctant to serve as regular policemen and, as a consequence, the Cabildo passed a resolution at a meeting held in February, 1818, which allowed persons of good standing in the Town to act as police officers when the need arose.

At the time, there was a regular force of 12 officers.

On August 25, 1835, under British rule, an ordinance was enacted to remove the responsibility for policing of the island from the Cabildo to a central government system, thus giving birth to what is now the Trinidad and Tobago Police constabulary.

The Town of Port of Spain remained for approximately six years without its own security having to depend on the Trinidad and Tobago Police constabulary to provide security for its institutions. By 1844 however, the Town Council re-established its own Police constabulary with the appointment of two men - James Bright and E. Hughes - who were made Town Constables.

Today, the Port of Spain Municipal Police is headed by an Assistant Superintendent of Police and with a force of 67 male and female officers. The City Today, the Port of Spain Municipal Police is headed by an Assistant Superintendent of Police and with a force of 67 male and female officers. The City Today, the Port of Spain Municipal Police is headed by an Assistant Superintendent of Police and with a force of 67 male and female officers. The City Police Department is responsible for the protection of all properties of the Corporation and the maintenance of law and order, particularly in respect to the municipal laws of the city of Port of Spain. 

However, the Municipal Officer is not limited to the Municipal laws, but also has the same authority and functions in the same manner as any member of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, in respect to the laws of the State.

The City Police Service also has a Public Relations and Welfare department which includes a counselling facility, a traffic unit, a plainclothes unit and a court and process unit.

In 1986, The City Police Service - through its Public Relations and Welfare Department - established the City Police Youth Club with the main objectives of:

In this connection, the City Police has organised the following programmes: academic studies, voice culture, auto mechanic, cake decoration, folk dancing, ball room dancing, karate and steel pan music.

The programme caters for children between five and eighteen years with special programmes designed for their parents.

As part of the drive to develop discipline among the youths, the City Police has organised a Cadet Corp in which members are taught all types of drills and, most of all, about the Laws of Trinidad and Tobago.

The programmes are conducted by trained police officers and volunteers from within the organisation.

As an incentive, the City Police takes the youths who excel in their respective disciplines to one of the Caribbean countries each year.

In August 1997, the group visited Barbados as guests of the Royal Barbados Police Force.

The Port-of-Spain City Police Welfare Department hosted 43 members of the Royal Barbados Police Youth Club from May 11 to May 19, 1998, as part of an educational exchange programme.