Armed cops on Charlotte Street

AMIDST growing concerns for the holiday season that crime would be on the rise, several people, including the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) have made numerous calls for an increase in police presence in Port-of-Spain for this period. DOMA President Gregory Aboud said his organisation had contacted the Minister of National Security, requesting a meeting with him to discuss proposals aimed at addressing the security issues of Port-of-Spain businessmen.

Even mayor of Port-of-Spain, Murchison Brown agreed that during the Carnival and Christmas seasons, there is an increase in crime and revealed that plans were being finalised to ensure that there was greater security. A call was even made by the Charlotte Street Vision 2004 Committee, as it called for more police patrols and a 24-hour mobile police unit. In an answer to these calls being made, there was a visible police presence in Port-of-Spain for the long Eid weekend. Uniformed and plainclothes police officers patrolled the streets of Port-of-Spain yesterday, as a greater attempt is now being made to fight crime in the city. Despite the fact that the city is not as busy as it is on weekdays, the police were still kept busy, as they pulled cars over and patrolled the streets to ensure that order was maintained.