Diego man charged with having police/army uniforms

THE Diego Martin man who was held in possession of a real police and army uniform was not pointed out during identification parades done on Saturday with respect to a robbery and kidnapping incident in July, police said. However, West End police yesterday charged the 27-year-old man with possession of an army and police kit, as well as possession of three rounds of .38 ammunition. Charges were laid by PC Roger Mitchell and the dreadlocked man is due to appear before a Port-of-Spain Magistrate today to answer the charges. The man was one of 35 people whom officers of the Western Division under Sr Supt Stephen Quashie and Insp Anthony Lezama arrested during a police exercise Friday night. The man was held in a house in the hills of Diego Martin with a full police and army kit.  He also had something resembling a police baton and belt, which senior police officers said were not police issued.

Police said the man did not reveal where he got the gear from but a Diego Martin resident had told Newsday that on Saturday that the man was trying his utmost to get rid of the uniform.
“Somebody called the Crime Stoppers and squealed on him,” the resident said. The Diego Martin resident also told Newsday that there was no way that the man could have obtained the uniform without inside help. “You really think he could get a police and an army uniform so easy?” the resident asked. A senior police officer said that in previous years police uniforms used to be “properly stamped” by the police stores, with the officers number on every part of the uniform—tunic, pants, belt, etc. However, the senior officer said that the police stores is now being controlled by civilians.  “We had our systems in place and now it is being gradually eroded and disbanded,” the senior officer said. Acting Commissioner of Police Everald Snaggs has already ordered an investigation as to how the man came into possession of the police uniform, while the army has chosen to stay silent on the subject.