Death threats nothing new

A DEATH threat, in the form of a bullet and a note, sent to a police officer in Tobago is being veiwed by senior policemen in the sister isle as “nothing new.” According to reports, police in Tobago are yet to determine the origin of a package containing a live 5.6 mm bullet and a type- written note stating “666 you next,” which was addressed to ASP Cummings and delivered last Thursday.

The package was reportedly deposited at Scarborough Police Station’s post box which is normally cleared by one of the clerks. Efforts by Newsday yesterday to contact ASP Cummings proved futile, but Snr Supt Benjamin Watson disclosed that he (Cummings) had not requested any heightened security presence as “this sort of thing was normal.” “This (threat) is normal in the life of a policeman, actually it is one of the adversities of being a police. I have myself received several threats over the years. ASP Cunningham in his own judgment as a policeman, will decide the type of security he wants and so far he has requested no additional security,” Snr Supt Watson told Newsday.

The contents of the package have been sent to the Forensic Sciences Centre for testing. Meanwhile, police presence on the island has visibly increased as several armed officers attached to the Guard and Emergency branch were seen patrolling the streets of Scarborough on Friday. Snr Supt Watson told Newsday that 17 officers are on the island for a special project which will last for about two to three weeks. He explained that the project was an “experiment between officers from Trinidad and Tobago” but while they were there, they would be involved in extensive crime fighting activities. “The number of officers stationed in Tobago is stretched thin and to deal effectively with recent activities on the island, we can do with all the assistance we are getting.”