The Housing Ministry will be moving to tackle a number of problems that have been popping up in communities across the country, including new squatter settlements, building materials on the roadways and the obstruction of drains.

Minister of Housing, Collin Croal, recently met with Enforcement officers and Rangers from his Ministry and made known his strong dissatisfaction with the current level of enforcement and alertness, particularly where officers are entering communities, observing violations and failing to ensure that matters are reported and acted upon immediately.

In a statement, the Housing Ministry said the Minister stressed that enforcement personnel cannot wait for complaints, referrals or instructions from the central office before responding to violations.

He said officers and rangers are expected to know their assigned areas, identify emerging problems and take decisive action before those problems become entrenched.

Minister Croal placed particular emphasis on new squatting, noting that despite the Ministry’s continued public position that new squatting will not be recognised, new settlements continue to emerge.

“If they go into the areas and they are not seeing these matters, then we have a problem,” the Minister stressed.

He made it clear that enforcement must extend beyond squatting, as officers are expected to identify and act on a range of violations affecting communities, including persons blocking drains, placing materials or other items on roadways, and other activities that create hazards, obstruct public spaces or negatively affect communities.

The Housing Minister also called for greater responsibility at the regional level, stressing that regional teams must strengthen their enforcement efforts and reduce their dependence on the central office.

He demanded an overhaul of the reporting process, directing that a digital platform be established to allow officers and rangers to immediately upload field reports, photographs and other evidence.

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