Dillon: Seven murders during Carnival

He said the findings of the committee headed by former Police Service Commission (PSC) chairman Professor Ramesh Deosaran to conduct a manpower audit on the Police Service will determine how to strengthen any gaps in the Service with respect to issues such as staffing, training and deployment.

He said the terms and conditions of the committee are being determined. Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley previously indicated the committee will submit its report to Cabinet by March 31.

On a newspaper report that alleged an eight year old child was being used as a “sex slave”, Dillon said he was advised that the Children’s Authority had taken charge on that issue. In a statement, the Authority confirmed that initial reports were made to its hotline about the child, “but these did not identify any concerns of child sexual abuse.” The Authority added that once that concern was identified following receipt of a media report, its Emergency Response Team was dispatched to investigate the new allegations made to the media.

The Authority said it has found child protection concerns and is taking steps to immediately address those concerns and ensure the child’s safety.