Downtown police post removed

THE mobile police unit which once occupied a barricaded area at Independence Square has vanished and police sources said this was done because it was misused, with a number of unnecesary telephone calls being made. Senior officers of the Port-of-Spain Special Unit informed Newsday yesterday that the removal of the mobile police unit was ordered by Police Commissioner Hilton Guy.  Sources said the post disappeared sometime on Saturday evening when officers assigned to it experienced an undisclosed problem. Officers at the Special Unit could offer no details about the “undisclosed problem”, but senior officers said the unit was misused and that a number of unnecessary telephone calls were made.  Attempts to contact  Guy proved futile. The removal of the mobile police unit has caused some concern among vendors in the area, who yesterday called for an immediate replacement of the E-999 police post which they said made the area a safer place to conduct their trade.

The vendors in the area also gave conflicting reports on what they believe might have caused  the removal of the mobile police post, but highlighted the benefits of the post to them. The vendors pointed out the post provided them with a greater sense of security and allowed them to sell their goods during hours that were previously considered unsafe. Efforts by National Security Minister Howard Chin-Lee to curb crime led to the establishment of numerous movable Police posts around the country, all equipped with E-999 vehicles. Many consider the posts to have played a significant role in the relatively crime free Carnival 2003 celebrations.