What coup? — just unfounded rumours

In assuring the population that the nation’s security forces are "on top of the situation" and fully prepared to deal with any situation, Roach cautioned citizens against reacting blindly to unfounded rumours and succumbing to "panic and despair."

At about noon yesterday, ru-mours of an attempted coup spread around the city and some businesses took precautions by closing up shop and sending their workers home early.

One of the affected businesses was RBTT, which issued a statement to its employees to disregard the rumours of a coup attempt since RBTT’s management had received information "from the highest levels of the protective services that these rumours were false and unfounded."

RBTT advised its staff against panic or mass evacuation, and to continue with business as usual.

Unlike the July 11 bombing in downtown Port-of-Spain, checks by Newsday revealed there was no mad rush of citizens out of the city and the situation was normal by 2 pm.

Checks with the Port-of-Spain CID revealed there was a flood of calls by citizens who were trying to find out if a coup had taken place in the city. Police urged citizens against calling its E-999 Command Centre about rumours of a coup, adding that it was an offence to do so.

Addressing a news conference at the National Security Minis-try’s Abercromby Street headquarters, Roach said the police had received information that individuals were planning to engage in some form of illegal activity in Port-of-Spain yesterday, and this had caused some panic in the city.

"We have checked it out. I can tell you there is absolutely no truth or merit in these rumours. They are all rumours. I can advise the citizens of this country that you can continue your business as usual. There is no need to panic," Roach said.

Newsday learnt that reports of an attempted coup were passed on by officers of the Special Anti-Crime Unit to other branches of the national security apparatus who, in turn, passed on that information to their relatives.

Unconfirmed reports claimed alert levels were heightened at all police stations throughout Trinidad and Tobago, police patrols were increased and police were instructed to pay close attention to the homes of top public officials — including Govern-ment ministers.

However, the acting CoP also said no such orders have been issued to the security forces and there was no truth to reports that the security forces stopped a convoy of members of a certain religious group.

Stating that TT is in the middle of a war against a small band of criminal elements within the society, Roach said "crime must never be seen as the sole responsibility of the police" but the responsibility of the entire population, the majority of whom were "decent and law-abiding," and the police needed their cooperation to win the war against crime.

Roach said the Special Anti-crime Unit is working well with the Police Service, and through the application of new technology and training, the service is being transformed into a "modern and dynamic crime-fighting agency to better serve the public."