100 cops/soldiers drafted

A new anti-homicide plan aimed at targetting gang-related killings and shootings was put into place yesterday after 100 police and army officers were transferred to the Inter Agency Task Force, based at Beetham Estate. On Wednesday, the 100 officers from Guard and Emergency Branch, all the officers of the Port-of-Spain Task Force and other divisions, as well as the Defence Force officers, were called to a meeting at the office of the IATF, and told of their new role and responsibilities. The officers have been given a mandate to patrol high-risk crime areas and do intelligence work to infiltrate the activities of gangs along the East/West Corridor.

Officers will also be required to seize several of the illegal guns being used in the killings. During the last two weeks, several gun related killings took place along the East/West Corridor. Yesterday the murder toll stood at 57. Out of the 57 murders in the country, 25 took place in Port-of-Spain. National Security Minister Martin Joseph said that he was concerned about the escalation of gang wars in Laventille and Morvant. “Just now you will see some efforts being made to address specifically, the incidents of homicides and especially the incidents of homicide that are gun-related and drug-related,” Joseph had said.

Yesterday, senior officers of the Homicide Bureau welcomed the move to unleash the new anti-homicide plan. They added that officers of the homicide unit are overwhelmed with work, with some officers doing six murder investigations. The officers said that on Besson Street where murders occur almost on a daily and nightly basis, officers have a backlog of murder investigations and are unable to carry out thorough probes because of the amount of work they are tied up with. Officers also supported the move to set up a Homicide Task Force by Dr Stephen Mastrofski of the George Mason University. The Mastro-fski team has been awarded a contract to re-tool and transform the Police Service. The team has been given $5.7 million to revamp the service, provide training and restore public confidence.