Minister of Agriculture and Lands, Roger Clarke, has said that the Squatter Management Unit was not established to take over the work of Operation Pride nor is it a 'universal policeman'.

"Our emphasis has been on co-ordination, containment and prevention through public education and monitoring. The unit does not absolve landowners, public or private, from securing their properties," said Mr. Clarke during his contribution to the 2007/08 Budget debate on April 18 in the House of Representatives.

The Squatter Management Unit was launched last June with the challenge of developing strategies/policies to arrest the proliferation of illegal settlements islandwide.

Since its establishment, the unit has been able to create a sustained public education programme featuring printed materials, radio and television; a toll-free hotline has been set up with wide usage by the public; and there has been advanced work on the regulation of at least three squatter settlements.

Other achievements include the provision of advice to a number of private land owners and government entities on squatter management issues; 10 eviction exercises conducted on crown lands with another nine to be undertaken shortly, and the unit is executing work on a comprehensive squatter management policy after securing funding from the World Bank.