Cops/army start clean up of Laventille

“Operation Baghdad” started in the early hours of this morning when a large group of policemen gathered at the office of the Criminal Investigation Department around 2 am before fanning out across the city and into designated areas of Laventille in an exercise that is expected to continue until Friday. The soldiers gathered at a base along the East-West Corridor at the VMCOTT Building, Beetham.

The operation is aimed at rounding up several well-known criminals who have been involved in murders and gang warfare. Areas such as Pump Trace, Dan Kelly, Beverly Hills, Rock City, St Barb’s, Block 22, Picton, Rudolph Charles Link Road, Blundell Alley, Leau Place, Rose Hill, Quarry Street, Observatory Street Pashley Street, Africa, and Canada were among the areas earmarked for the raids. Police expected to seize AK-47, MP 5, Galil, UZI, Tec 9, and other sophisticated weapons. The police have a list of 30 persons who are allegedly responsible for the spate of murders and shootings. A large contingent of police and army officers spent all of yesterday in briefings. All the police and army officers involved in the exercise have been placed on temporary transfer to the Port-of-Spain CID, and they will carry out round the clock raids and searches in several areas in Laventille designated as “hot spot” crime areas. Soldiers assigned to the Port-of-Spain, Central, and Southern Divisions to carry out joint police/army patrols were recalled on Monday night for a briefing and preparation for “Operation Baghdad.”

Officers taking part in the exercise included those from the Port-of-Spain CID, the Guard and Emergency Branch, the Port-of-Spain Task Force, the North Eastern Task Force, and North Eastern CID. Yesterday, more than 50 of the soldiers who were recalled from other duties were dispatched to several streets in Port-of-Spain for special patrols. The soldiers told Newsday that they were given firm instructions to maintain a visible presence and patrol Nelson, Charlotte, George, Piccadilly and Frederick Streets. Many of the business owners in Port-of-Spain welcomed the presence of the armed soldiers. On Monday, Minister of National Security Howard Chin Lee went to an area along the East/West Corridor where he handed over specially designed jeeps to the police for use in the clean up exercise. Yesterday, the soldiers who were recalled carried out special patrols in Port-of-Spain and then went to a base where all the planning for the exercise took place. Around 1 pm yesterday, ACP Crime Oswyn Allard met with Commissioner of Police Hilton Guy, Ag Supt Errol Denoon, ASP Alfred Sealey and other senior officers and briefed them about the exercise. Both National Security Minister Howard Chin Lee, and ACP Allard confirmed yesterday that the planning stages for the clean up exercise have been finalised.