Hinds: Cops making headway against crime

Responding to a motion by Chaguanas MP Manohar Ramsaran on the adjournment of the House of Representatives on Friday, Hinds dismissed suggestions of a cover-up in the recent shooting death of fishermen Shazad Mohammed.

Noting the plethora of concerns raised by business persons and other residents in Central Trinidad to the high levels of crime in their areas, Hinds said his ministry responded by ensuring that additional security resources were deployed to Central Trinidad.

The minister listed three mobile police stations, transfer of Anti-Kidnapping Squad officers to the Central Police Division, contingents from the Inter-Agency Task Force and Guard and Emergency Branch as some of those resources.

He said the police have been given specific instructions to crackdown on the flow of illegal guns and drugs which he said lay at the root cause of nearly all serious crimes in TT today. In terms of kidnappings, Hinds said he was pleased to report that there have only been eight kidnappings for ransom (three in Central Trinidad) in TT for this year but the authorities are not allowing this fact to lull them into complacency.

He said the police have targeted the known kidnappers, built strong cases against them and the strengthened Bail Act has helped to keep these persons behind bars. Hinds said there was no cover-up in investigations into Mohammed’s death and the file on that matter has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions “who is doing his work.”