Three of nine police divisions excel

“The TTPS has set its benchmark a detection rate of 30 per cent for 2017, which is in keeping with the international benchmark for crime detection...Overall the TTPS has realised a 29 per cent detection rate for serious crimes, 2017, thus far. There has also been a 24 per cent reduction in serious reported crimes for January to present, from 3,409 to 2,585, a difference of 824 when compared to the corresponding period (in) 2016.” Pierre was speaking yesterday at the weekly press briefing at the Police Administration Building, Port-of-Spain.

He said the police were approaching the close of the first quarter of 2017, and had experienced both highs and lows in their achievements.

Pierre said although Portof Spain was long deemed a hotspot, it had experienced the highest reduction, of 47 per cent, from 572 in 2016 to 301 in 2017, followed by Western Division with a reduction of 34 per cent, and Tobago Division with 29 per cent.

Among the crimes classified as serious are murders, wounding and shooting, rape, incest and other sexual offences, kidnapping, fraud, burglaries and break-ins, general larceny of motor vehicles, narcotics offences, and the possession of firearm and ammunition.

He said in terms of fraud offences, there had been a 58 per cent reduction from 302 to 126 reports, a 20 per cent reduction in wounding and shooting from 166 to 133, and a 20 per cent drop in robbery from 689 to 552 reports.

Pierre said whilst the police divisions had achieved some success in the record of performance for 2017, they recognised that reports of violence and murders __ for which guns remained the weapon of choice __ were of serious concern to the citizenry.

He said the police had found and seized 199 firearms of varying types, and 2,026 rounds of assorted ammunition.

“The TTPS will be intensifying its efforts to achieve a reduction in such crimes. We will continue to work assiduously by conducting exercises, road checks, increase visibility through foot and mobile patrols, intensify investigations and other measures to ensure that illegal firearms and ammunition are seized and removed from the streets of Trinidad and Tobago.”