Dillon tells top cop: Get murder rate down

Dillon held a two-hour meeting with Williams and the commanders of the two divisions, Snr Supt McDonald Jacob (Northern) and acting Snr Supt Kenny McIntyre (Central) to give them a clear mandate to re-strategise and bring down the murder toll.

For the same period last year, 367 murders were committed. Dillon told Newsday that following the triple murders in D’Abadie last Saturday, he was alarmed by what was taking place in Northern and Central Divisions, hence his reason for summoning the officers to a meeting yesterday. Dillon said the crime spree is not acceptable and every life lost is a concern to him and the Government.

He assured, “every additional resource will be deployed to ensure lives are saved and persons intent on ending the lives of fellow citizens will be flushed out and brought to justice.” He said society could no longer deal with the spate of murders and a clear message has to be sent to the criminal element that, “enough is enough and all lives are important”.

During the meeting, Dillon asked the top cop and his senior officers to put new measures in place to deal effectively with the spate of murders and also demanded results, telling the officers the public is equally concerned about their safety because of the killings. One of the main strategies, Newsday was told will be community policing meetings which officers will hold in various communities to foster partnerships and get persons to work with the police in the fight against crime. In the Northern Division, the first community meeting takes place Thursday while in Central Division a community meeting was scheduled for last evening in Enterprise, Chaguanas.

Newsday understands the message of the police will be for residents to reclaim their communities from criminals to make Trinidad and Tobago a safer place for all.

Williams along with Jacob and McIntyre vowed to deliver the necessary results and promised the public will see sweeping changes in the coming days which will benefit their communities in the two divisions.