Cop’s shotgun stolen from home

A MAJOR hunt is now on for a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun owned by a policeman attached to the Organised Crime and Narcotics Unit (OCNU), which was stolen from his Gasparillo home along with over $30,000 in jewelry on Wednesday. According to police reports, the constable secured his Gasparillo home at around 7 am and went out. On returning home around 7 pm, the officer noticed the front door of his home forced open. He immediately alerted police and, during a check, discovered that his shotgun was missing. A quantity of jewelry was also stolen. This is the second legitimate firearm to have been stolen within the past month and comes on the heels of the disappearance of a high-powered Galil rifle from the TT Defence Force. The Galil was subsequently recovered at a house in D’Abadie.

Both Prime Minister Patrick Manning, who is also chairman of the National Security Council (NSC), and Minister of National Security Martin Joseph, have expressed concern over the number of firearms in the hands of criminals. Police sources told Newsday that part of an ongoing anti-crime initiative included efforts to recover firearms from criminals. As such, a unit called the Firearms Interdiction Unit (FIU) was established to deal specifically with the issue of illegal firearms. The FIU, headed by Snr Supt Errol Dillon and ASP Chandrabhan Maharaj, was behind the recent seizure of a cache of arms including a hand grenade as well as TT$3 million in cocaine during a raid in South Trinidad. Four persons, including a 12-year-old girl, have been charged as a result of the seizure and are presently awaiting the start of the preliminary inquiry at Siparia Magistrates’ Court. A party of officers from Gasparillo Police Station visited the OCNU officer’s home and searched for clues. Sgt Anthony Charles and PC Ifill are continuing investigations.