Fewer defendants in court this Carnival

FEWER PEOPLE appeared in court charged with various offences this Carnival when compared with last year’s Carnival, according to Court and Process officials.

It was noticeable that the number of people appearing in court for possession of weapons fell to only four, while dozens appeared on similar offences before magistrates during last Carnival. This year 52 people appeared in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court following arrests made during the national festival, while 170 persons appeared during Carnival last year. A police source believes that the drop in crime over the two-day national festival was due to the increase in police patrols across the country.

The source also believes that steps taken to check passengers at the City Gate transit point to detect weapons had made a difference. One officer issued a warning to the travelling public to leave “your weapons at home when you are going to fete” since the Police Service is taking a no nonsense approach to crime. At the Magistrates’ Court yesterday 15 people who were arrested on Carnival Monday were remanded in custody pending tracing, when they appeared before City Magistrate Marcia Murray in the Port-of-Spain Fourth Magistrates’ Court.

The charges ranged from possession of marijuana and possession of a device for use of an illicit drug. Of the 15 people before the court, two appeared on separate wounding charges from incidents that were committed prior to the Carnival season. The duo were arrested on outstanding warrants. Among the charges, three were charged with robbery, 13 with possession of marijuana, five with using obscene language in public places, two with breaking and entering, four with possession of offensive weapons and three with resisting arrest.

Eleven of the accused were denied bail and remanded into custody, seven were granted bail, four were placed on their own bond, one was fined, and the sole woman had her charge dismissed because she pleaded guilty and had no previous convictions or pending matters. All of the offences allegedly occurred between Thursday and yesterday morning. Most of the police officers who had laid the charges did not turn up at the court because they were required to continue their duties on the streets of Port-of-Spain and its environs.  As a result, after reading the charges, the magistrate adjourned the matters and transferred them to their respective courts.