ASP Moore: Criminals target businesswomen

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ASP) Garfield Moore said the police has observed criminals mostly target women, and has called on them to be more vigilant to ensure their premises are not broken into and they are not robbed of their possessions.

Moore was speaking to Newsday Tobago shortly after the police completed the third and last leg of its campaign called YOGA; Youths Opposed to Guns and Ammunition.

He said with this initiative, while they may not reach their goal, the police should get a few more guns off the street. The YOGA initiative is a starting point and will be continued into the next year, Moore stated, until there are no more illegal guns on the island.

He has admitted the Tobago Division is under 50 percent of its target to remove 24 illegal firearms off the streets in Tobago. In an interview with Newsday Tobago on Friday, Moore said the help of communities is needed if the police are to reach closer to its figure of 24 before the end of the year.

He said 11 guns have been recovered thus far. The latest coming on Friday after a loaded gun was found. Police were checking an area where they had chased a suspect following a report of a robbery on Thursday night. The suspect was later arrested by police.

The ASP noted that following a quiet period and a slight decrease in crimes during August and September, in October and November there has been a notable spike in robberies. The police have made some inroads and arrests since the recent increase but have noticed new criminal elements appear to be surfacing. However, he said the police are not daunted and will pursue all leads to ensure Tobago is safe