The exercise was supervised by Senior Superintendent Mc Donald Jacob and led by Inspector Vetus Hernandez. According to reports, Inspector Hernandez and PC Williams observed the Venezuelan suspect walking along a road near the southern gate of the University of the West Indies shortly after midnight. The man was stopped and searched and a Beretta pistol and a magazine containing a quantity of 9 mm ammunition were found and seized.

Police believe that the Venezuelan was involved in several robberies in the St Augustine area and was on his way to carry out another robbery when he was held. He is expected to be placed on identification parades today following which he would be charged for several crimes.

Joseph returned to court yesterday before Forde-John for her to determine bail based on whether he was a holder of a TT Passport, so it can be surrendered as a condition of bail being granted. Joseph, 36, who was last based at San Juan Police Sub-station, was arrested and charged with robbing Chinese national Wei Hui Zhu of $406,000, at his Soledad Road, Claxton Bay home. The SRP is also alleged to have robbed Zhu of an Apple Iphone 7 ($7,000) and an FX Revolution rifle ($20,000). Another charge of robbing Jinfu Zhu of an Apple Iphone 6 valued $6,000, was also read to Joseph.

He appeared on Wednesday on those charges before Forde-John but was remanded into custody to determine whether he had a passport which the police prosecutor had requested be seized as a condition to bail. Joseph, who had been a special reserve police officer for the past three years, yesterday appeared in the prisoners’ docks in handcuffs. He was brought down from Maximum Security Prison in a separate vehicle from the normal batch of prisoners.

Court prosecutor Cleyon Seedan, told Magistrate Forde-John yesterday that records from the Immigration Department showed that Joseph has a passport, but it expired on July 5, 1995. Forde- John granted Joseph bail to cover the charges, excluding the charge of possession of the ammunition.

That charge was read to him on Wednesday as well but was transferred to the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ court. The charge alleged that on Friday last at the San Juan Police Sub-station, Eastern Main Road, he had the ammunition while being a person exempted under Section Seven of the Firearm Act, and not being the holder of a firearm user licence in respect of the said ammunition.

When Joseph appears on Monday to answer that charge, the magistrate would determine the issue of bail. Yesterday, Forde-John did not offer Joseph’s attorney Sade Lee-Duprey, a cash deposit as an alternative to the $250,000 bail.

Camera footage at the home of the victim clearly identifies the SRP from Tobago who was fired, but attempts to find him is proving to be quite difficult. The second SRP who is on suspension is believed to have assisted in the robbery by using his vehicle. Attempts to contact him by officers of the Professional Standards Bureau also proved futile.

Newsday understands that camera footage at the home of the victim only identifies two persons while the remaining four persons cannot be identified properly. Initially, officers from the North Eastern and Port-of- Spain Divisions were interviewed in connection with the robbery but they were ordered released pending further investigation.

An SRP has already appeared in court in connection with the robbery. According to reports, last Friday three armed men arrived at the home of Wei Hui Zhu, 31, of Soledad Road, Claxton Bay in a marked police vehicle, wearing police tactical gear.

Three more “officers” arrived in a black Sport Utility Vehicle stating they had instructions to search his home. The men found and took $400,000 as well as two iPhones.

Charles alleged that Rowley does not care about the people and is out of touch. He said Rowley failed to outline his plan to deal with crime, allegedly being blissfully unaware of the real fear citizens feel on a daily basis as a result of rising criminal activity.

“People are genuinely afraid, the murder toll is over 400 and that is a fact, and the Government has yet to even articulate a crime plan or national security policy, another startling and scary fact,” Charles hit.

“The Prime Minister would like for all of us to pretend that our national security systems are not failing. Even as he professed his confidence in the Minister of National Security (Edmund Dillon), Rowley was conveniently forgetting that he recently included himself on the ever growing list of National Security ‘ministers’ which is not a sign of confidence.” Charles accused the Rowley-led administration of arrogance in how they interact with the public.

In making this point at a news conference at the Eric Williams Financial Complex, Imbert advised reporters to speak to Education Minister Anthony Garcia about this matter.

Indicating he was aware of this particular matter, Imbert said, “That would not be a matter for the Ministry of Finance.

We would release the funds to the Ministry of Education and it is their responsibility to get it off.” The minister added, “Whatever funds we have been asked to release have been released.” Imbert hinted, “Sometimes the paperwork gets stuck.

Sometimes the request does not come to Finance.

That could be a possibility.” However he reiterated that this was a matter for Garcia to comment on. In a statement on Wednesday, former education minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh demanded that Garcia be fired on this matter.

The media conference was held together with Opposition Senator Gerald Ramdeen, and it was called to address the recent assertions of Prime Minister Keith Rowley, that former PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar was “anxious to have 438 people killed.” Rowley made the statement on Tuesday night at a campaign meeting in San Juan, and he made the statement in response to Persad-Bissessar’s claim that the reported murder figure of 400 in the local media as of Monday November 14, 2016 was incorrect, and it was in actuality, 438.

Sturge, in the press conference, backed the Opposition Leader, affirming that her figure of 438 was accurate and produced a document cataloguing the number of murders to date for 2016, confirming the number of 438.

He said, “…It seems as if the left hand doesn’t seem what the left hand is doing in the Police Service.

And it’s even worse with the media. We rely heavily on the media to be a check and balance on the government and to be a check and balance on the Police Service, and to report accurately.

It seems since September 7, that certain investigative journalists who touted themselves as investigative journalists, they have since passed on, we’re asking on these persons to be Lazarus, and it’s time to wake up. I say so because the media seems to be lagging behind on what the actual murder toll is…I’ll first deal with the TTPS website. According to the TTPS website, downloaded today, 17 November 2016, according to the…crime stats as it stands in T&T, it’s 405, and after the 405, there’s a question mark. So it seems as though the TTPS is not even sure that it’s 405. But what is interesting, is according to the same website T&T kidnappings for the year, 0.

“Now I would expect the investigative journalists to do like Lazarus and wake from the dead, and ask the TTPS about Rhea Sookdeo who was kidnapped, and that’s just one person who was kidnapped…So clearly, one cannot trust the information coming out of the TTPS…I don’t understand how the TTPS’ count is 405 and the media’s 408.”

A press release issued yesterday by the Cane Producers Association of Trinidad and Tobago (CPATT) condemned Persad-Bissessar’s comments on the issue at a political rally on November 11, 2016 and also took her to task for attempting to blame the non-payment of the EU grant to cane farmers on the present Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley.

According to the release, “The Association notes that Mrs Persad- Bissessar failed to adequately address the longstanding issue of utilisation of the EU Grant Funding for the benefit of cane farmers during her five years as Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.

“Mrs Persad-Bissessar is fully aware that the Government and the European Delegation have signed an agreement whereby the Cane Farmers were to be the major beneficiary of this grant funding and that the Government’s responsibility is to facilitate implementation of the exit plan.

“Her continued statements regarding this issue are clearly an attempt to divert attention away from the fact that under her administration, hundreds of millions of dollars were collected from the European Commission, and no mechanism was put in place for the Cane Farmers to benefit.” It continued that Persad-Bissessar’s administration, through then Minister of Planning and the Economy, Bhoendradatt Tewarie and then Minister of Food Production, Devant Maharaj, failed to cooperate with the Association to have the Exit Strategy for Cane Farmers implemented.

Additionally, the release complained that the PP attempted to win the general election by paying $27 million as cash to farmers.

The Exit Strategy was approved by the European Union Delegation in 2013, and in 2014, the Delegation committed 16 million Euros to the grant funding.

On Friday November 11, at a political rally in Barrackpore, Persad- Bissessar urged cane farmers to not accept what the People’s National Movement administration is offering them, saying that they would be accepting less than what they are actually entitled to.

She said at the rally, “I tell you do not sign those letters, do not take the less money, go to your lawyer (Gerald) Ramdeen and let us fight them in the court to get the full amount of money that you are due.”

“When I ready, I will talk with you. Right now, I am not talking to anyone or giving out any information.

I have your (Newsday’s) number and when I ready [sic], I will call to talk to you,” insisted grandmother Natalie Richins, 40.

Last week Thursday, police discovered the decaying remains of the baby girl- Mercy- in the family’s wooden home at Chin Fong Alley #1, Sobo Village. The baby girl was born on February 8, to a teenager and is believed to have died some eight months ago. The death was never reported to the authorities and instead the baby was kept in the crib. Police on making the bizarre discovery last week Thursday, detained Richins, together with her daughter Nicolette Harry, 18, and two minors a boy, 15 and a 13-year-old girl.

An autopsy performed the following day at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, revealed that the cause of death was inconclusive.

On Tuesday last, police released all four persons without charge as investigations continue.

The minors have since been staying at the home of a relative.

Hours after the release, Richins insisted that the baby was “alive and well” and even vowed to show the baby to Newsday, a promise that is yet to be fulfilled.

Woman Sgt Taitt of the La Brea Police Station is spearheading investigations.

Persad-Bissessar is demanding a full retraction and correction of the publication from the EBC, and expressed difficulty in believing that the mistakes were “unintentional.” She highlighted the inaccuracies while speaking to a modest crowd of fired up UNC activists at the party’s cottage meeting on Wednesday night at the ASJA Girls College auditorium in San Fernando. The Form 46, which listed the names of all the candidates and their corresponding parties for the Local Government election, was published in a daily newspaper. However, several UNC candidates were listed as PNM candidates and, further, the UNC candidates for the Tunapuna district were completely left out.

Those incorrectly listed as UNC candidates were Zoraida Rodriguez-Martinez and Gioma Martinez-Norman contesting seats in the Port-of-Spain Corporation; Chulan Kheymweti contesting a seat in the Penal/Debe Corporation; Chris Hosein contesting a seat in the Princes Town Corporation; and Chanardaye Ramadharsingh contesting a seat in the Siparia Corporation.

The union served legal strike notice on IOCL on October 20 and are on day 29 of a 90-day strike.

Speaking with reporters afterwards, Williams said workers were seeking the intervention of Petrotrin president, Fitzroy Harewood, to bring the impasse to an end “We are the workers who do all the transportation in the offshore environment in Trinidad Soldado field, in this day 29, we are suffering the same fate, lack of equity, discrimination against contractor workers and what we are fighting for is the minimum wage in Trinmar- nothing else, nothing more,” Williams said.

“In the 29th day, we know it is affecting production, there are production losses of 3,000 barrels a day and why is Petrotrin allowing the contractors to get away with this?” he added.

He also alleged that there were “very serious safety issues” at Trinmar regarding the type of boats currently being used in its operations including emergency response vessels and bunkering vessels.

“So we want to know why it is that Petrotrin is not getting involved, the union has requested an audit, and so far these audits have not reach the OWTU,” he said, and called on Petrotrin to ensure its contractors paid the workers the correct wages “Our wage where it exists now presently, are 60 percent, 70 percent much lower than even labourer wage rates in Trinmar, that is unfair, and again we are just asking for justice, we are asking for equity, we are asking for fair play, give us the minimum wage in Trinmar, it applies here in Pointe-a-Pierre, why it doesn’t apply here in Trinmar?” Williams asked.

Workers have vowed to remain on the picket line for the duration of the 90-day strike while IOCL, in a previous statement, had stated its intention to allow the Industrial Court to rule on the matter.