Fed up cops call for action against E-999 abuse

ANGRY officers attached to the Northern Division are calling for the powers-that-be to immediately institute some sort of legislation against civilians who misuse scant police resources.

“Civilians continue to make a mockery of the E-999, the Criminal Investigations Departments, Command Control and other departments with hoax reports or refusal to continue action after immense energies put into it. “Even the Crime-Stoppers have been bombarded with hoax calls and issues not related to its office.” This angry cop’s statement is in response to an incident which occurred on Saturday when a driver was robbed of a gold identification band and chain by four armed men in a green KIA Avella vehicle on Palm Drive, Champ Fleurs.

Following a report, the escaping car was sighted and a chase ensued with six vehicles from North Division, two from North Eastern and one from Central finally blocking the car in the Morvant area. Four men from the Santa Cruz and Morvant area were arrested minus the ammunition which was most likely thrown away. When police called on the robbed man to take a statement, he refused, stating that he had changed his mind. “After all that work and use of resources, we had to let go three of the men because according to our guidelines we cannot hold them for more than 48 hours without charging them.

“The Morvant man has outstanding warrants. “The irony is, when we go through all of this, we are just made to look as a laughing stock but when we don’t, or explain that we have no transport, we are criticised by the same public who duped us. “And this problem is not only at Northern Division, but all over the country. “Persons should be made to pay for wasting police time when that resource could have been used to help someone else.” Sources at both Command Control and Crime Stoppers confirmed they have been bombarded with several irrelevant and bogus reports by civilians resulting in valuable hours and lost resources.