Police inspectors get a month to turn TT around

Acting Deputy Commissioner Oswyn Allard has told all inspectors in charge of crime in all police divisions they have one month to return the society back to law-abiding citizens. A concerned Allard met with all inspectors in charge of crime at his office on Thursday, and gave them firm instructions that the criminal element should no longer be allowed to hold the country to ransom. Newsday learnt that inspectors were asked to give a list of all the crime hotspots in their divisions, and come up with an effective strategy to arrest the escalating crime situation. Several of the inspectors welcomed the move, but expressed concern over the lack of available resources to effectively reap the desired results. Many of the officers complained of the shortage of detectives, vehicles and outdated weaponry.

The officers told Allard that once given the resources, they would be able to bring some relief to citizens. Allard promised to do all in his power to give the officers what they required. The new assault on crime started on Thursday and continued yesterday. An exercise in Port-of-Spain resulted in the arrest of 20 persons, while two guns were seized in the Western Division. In Central Division, officers led by Insp Kirk, Sgt Lumy, acting Sgts Persad and Mckenzie and acting Cpl Terrance Williams recovered a stolen vehicle, and a quantity of drugs was seized. Drug dens were also raided and search warrants were executed at several homes. Police sources revealed that during the next few weeks, the citizens of this country will see a more visible police presence, increased raids and searches and impromptu roadblocks. More focus will be placed on intelligence gathering. When contacted yesterday, Allard offered no comment on the matter.