Drugs seized, car impounded, traffic tickets issued

CLOSE to 400 police officers from the various police divisions caught motorists by surprise yesterday after they staged roadblocks at different locations in the country. During yesterday’s exercise, three men were arrested, two of whom were held with one kilogramme of marijuana in the Santa Cruz area while the other man was held at the Aripo Intersection after he was caught driving a vehicle for which he had no documents. The car was also seized. Several traffic offences were also detected, with six in the Northern Division, nine in the Western Division, 14 in the North Eastern Division and 16 each in the Port-of-Spain and Central Divisions. While the Eastern Division had three  arrests, one for simple possession of marijuana and another for driving without driver’s permit , while another man was held for driving without insurance. Several traffic offences were also detected in the Eastern Division.  A number of people were also ordered to remove tints from their vehicles in all the divisions, police said.

Unknown to the 400 officers, their boss, Acting Commissioner of Police Everald Snaggs, along with Minister of National Security Howard Chin Lee and Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Oswyn Allard, were airborne looking on. “I am very much encouraged by the officers’ response in the performance of their duties. They were very diligent and the public was very responsive,” Snaggs told Newsday on his return from the aerial view.  The top cop also said he intends to make use of the helicopter service as part of the national crime-fighting strategies. The aerial tour started from the Queen’s Park Savannah and went on to the north, west, central and southern areas.  Tobago was not part of yesterday’s islandwide roadblock exercises, but Snaggs said they intend to visit the area. Snaggs and the party touched down at Rio Claro Junction, the Tarouba Link Road, the South Trunk Road and the Dunlop Roundabout. “It (roadblock exercise) was very successful,” Snaggs said, adding that a lot of criminal and traffic offences were detected.  He said he is aware that the roadblocks may be an inconvenience for members of the public, but pleaded with them to be patient with the police officers. Most successful in the roadblocks were officers of the North Eastern Division, who, apart from issuing 14 traffic tickets, seized one kilogramme of marijuana and arrested two men in the process.

The North Eastern Division officers were led by acting Sr Supt Waldron Bishop and including ASP Gregory Correira, Insp Ancil Coa, Sgt Ramjohn, Cpls Francis Vidale and Patrick Thomas, PC Danielle Antoine and several others. They positioned themselves at the Santa Cruz Old Road and Saddle Road, also called the “Y”.  There, the officers stopped and searched several vehicles at random to avoid a bottleneck on the road. Senior police officers said that particular area was chosen because most motorists use the area to get to different parts of the country. The other divisions were supervised by Sr Supts Randolph Protain, Philip Carmona, Farouk Ghany, Shahid Ali and Alfonso, Acting Supt Maraj and Acting ASP Julius. Routine checks of vehicles were done, several people were ordered to remove tints from their cars and police were also on the lookout for people for whom they have warrants.