Ag CoP Williams: Surveillance at church

Williams said that based on his feedback, police surveillance is continuing around the clock.

However, when Newsday visited the church site yesterday, persons were seen removing materials from the church site.

Police officers told Newsday that while they are to pay close surveillance, they cannot arrest anyone because they do not know who the owner of the church is and no formal complaint has been made by the owner of the materials at the church site about pilfering.

Yesterday the widespread looting at the church continued, and Newsday was informed that police patrolled the area along with Defence Force personnel, but no one was detained.

A trailer was seen at the site and persons were seen loading materials into this trailer.

Up to yesterday the police had no instructions to make the site a restricted area.

Deputy Police Commissioner Stephen Williams, who will act for Ag Police Commissioner James Philbert who is out of the country, said yesterday that he has issued fresh instructions to the police to pay surveillance at the church at the Heights of Guanapo starting from yesterday.

Williams told Newsday that he also learnt that Philbert had also given instructions to the police to pay surveillance at the church site.

He added that based on his feedback the surveillance is continuing round the clock.

Yesterday, officers of the Northern Division arrested two persons for unlawful possession after they were allegedly found with material belonging to the church.

The two men, aged 23 and 24 of no fixed place of abode, were held with materials including wood and steel.

Officers also seized a vehicle containing material traced to the church site. The driver of the truck could not be found, but officers seized a welding torch and steel rods which were taken along with the truck to the Arima Police Station.

Police officers told Newsday that persons can be charged with unlawful possession, even if an owner does not exist. The two held yesterday will appear before an Arima magistrate on Monday, however, legal sources said that the charges could be thrown out because Shanghai Construction Group, the owner of the items, have refused to claim the items and due to this technicality the arrested persons could very well be freed.