Matthews, who lived alone, was found dead in her Arima home two weekends ago.

She was stabbed eight times with a kitchen knife by her attacker who also ransacked her home and escaped with valuables.

Wounds to her hands, police sources said, suggested that Matthews put up a fight with her attacker.

Yesterday sources at the Homicide Bureau told Newsday they received certain information and were searching for the ex-convict who is now believed to have gone into hiding. Investigators also warned that the man could be considered armed and dangerous.

Matthews’ four children, all American citizens, who arrived in the country last week to attend their mother’s funeral which took place last Friday, have been working closely with local law enforcement officials as well as US authorities on the murder investigation.

Newsday was told that US law enforcement officers are lending their expertise to Homicide officers in this particular investigation as it involves the murder of an American citizen.

Officers from the Northern Division are also assisting a team of Homicide detectives and on the weekend, searches were carried out for the main suspect.

Investigators also advised the public to desist from purchasing items which they suspect could be stolen merchandise as it is an offence to do so.

The suspect has been described as a ‘serial thief ’ and advised persons, particularly the elderly, to secure their homes.

In a statement, Mahabir said government has not fulfilled its responsibility to ensure the safety and security of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

He noted that the number of murders for this year has already surpassed 60, with government offering nothing as a solution to stem the killings.

He suggested that a National Summit be convened to address “this critical situation and produce an actionable practical plan to deal with the crime situation”.

Parliamentarians, law enforcement leaders, political and non-Governmental organisations who have studied and formulated views on the various aspects of the process of crime fighting __ prevention, detection, prosecution, rehabilitation __ and relevant social interventions should be part of the summit, Mahabir suggested.

“We are speaking about developing an actionable practical plan with immediate to long-term time horizons to deal with the most critical issues of loss of life and human trafficking while recognising the right of citizens to self-protection and to the protection of the State.” “The Congress of the People fully appreciates and understands that there is no single-dimensional approach to bringing our society from the abyss of the massive loss of life due to violent crime that has plagued us for a decade at least. We expect no one measure to solve the problem,” the COP leader said.

He added that government needs to get its priorities in check.

“No amount of traffic light cameras and more stringent road traffic penalties and all the amendments to anti-Terrorism Laws, as announced by Government are going to stop the daily slaughter of our citizens by murderous criminals. More people are murdered than killed in road traffic accidents, no terrorist attacks are going on in our country, but, men, women, children and our elderly continue to be murdered every day. We need to get the priorities right,” he urged.

Cooper-Rahim, who took a break from the Couva calypso arena over the past few years, has thrown down the gauntlet this year with a well-crafted and timely social commentary, titled The Call To Prayer, which urges citizens to turn to prayer to rescue the country from its afflictions She leads a line-up of 14 calypsonians who will come up against defending monarch, Georgia McIntyre, at the grand finals which take place on Friday, February 24, at Carnival Centre (Couva Car Park).

Caryn Mc Carthy, with her offering of Just Ah Name, placed first in the preliminary round of the Junior Calypso Monarch Competition.

She will join seven other contenders who will try to wrest the crown from the seemingly unshakeable hold of history-making N’Janela Duncan-Regis, who goes for her fifth successive title.

“We are in store for a truly spectacular show when the grand finals come around. In the senior category, we have former monarch Queen Victoria who will be making a return to Couva after concentrating her energies on the national stage. We welcome her back since she started with Couva calypso from the junior ranks.

Another drawing card, of course, is whether any of the juniors can stop N’Janela in her tracks. We’ll just have to wait and see,” said Wilton ‘Flex’ Griffith, member of the Couva Carnival Committee (CCC) and coordinator of the calypso competitions.

Finalists for Couva Senior Calypso Monarch Competition: Victoria ‘Queen Victoria’ Cooper-Rahim – The Call To Prayer Natasha Edmund – Youth Power Malaike Ballantyne – Calypso and Country Trevor ‘Tulu’ Burnett – Kitch Welcomes Jit Jelanie Wells – Who Ban Dat? Vernon ‘Big Fisherman’ Bereaux – Only One Piece Tamico ‘Spicy’ Moore – Missing You Rosemary “Young Rose’ Mitchell – Real Freedom Cindy ‘Nspire’ Chandband – Chances Nicholas ‘Nikko’ Ashby – Ancestors Freedom Pray Miguella Simon – Still Colonial Francesca ‘Sweet Merle’ Lewis-Francois – Can We Rise Kenson ‘Ninja’ Neptune – Take Yuh Place Terry ‘D Masso’ Marcelle – Big Seven Nations Feed The World Defending Monarch: Georgia Mc Intyre

Reserves: Carlton Louison – God Eh No Trini At All Patricia ‘Dynamic Viva’ Smith – Mister Murderer.

Finalists for Couva Junior Calypso Monarch Competition: Caryn Mc Carthy – Just Ah Name Jeremiah James – Oh Mama Faith Haywood – Faith Jason James – Martin Luther King Takiyah Nurse – Why? Jahia Assoon – Short Fuh Spite Jewel A. Mitchell – All On My Own Monique Mitchell – Trinbago is Mine Defending Monarch: N’Janela Duncan- Regis.

Medium and Large Conventional Bands will have their score sheets opened today (February 6) at Victoria Square, Park Street, Port-of-Spain, opposite Pan Trinbago head office, from 10 am.

The exercise for the Small Conventional Bands will take place on Wednesday (February 8, 2017 at the City Hall Auditorium, Knox Street, Port of Spain, at 4 pm and not at the previous time as earlier advertised.

Steelbands that participated in the above Panorama competitions are asked to send one representative to the event.

Reports are that at about 4.30 am on Friday, the woman was at her Cinnamon Hill apartment with the man, of Easterfield Road, Mason Hall, when they got into an argument.

He reportedly began beating her, after which he raped her.

The suspect was arrested at Bacolet Street, Scarborough. He is expected to be charged for rape and assault.

According to reports, Keron and Kerwin Coutou were at the bar when, at about 1.25 am, they were in an altercation with a man who pulled out a knife and began stabbing the brothers.

The victims retaliated and inflicted wounds on their attacker.

The police were contacted and officers of the Arima Police Station went to the bar where they arrested a 22 yearold man of Jacob Hill, Wallerfield.

The injured brothers were taken to the Arima District Health Facility and then transferred to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope where they remained warded up to late yesterday in serious condition.

Investigations are continuing.

Police sources said yesterday, based on information given to them by doctors at the San Fernando General Hospital where Mohammed warded, he is ‘out of the woods.’ Mohammed’s close friend, businessman Naim Caliph, 35, was shot in his Range Rover after he and Mohammed left the opening of a nightclub at South Park Mall. Mohammed drove to the Mon Repos Police Station where Caliph, of Naparima/ Mayaro Road, Palmyra Village, was pronounced dead.

He was in the front passenger seat.

Reports are that gunmen in a white AD wagon opened fire on Caliph’s white Range Rover (PCX 6786) along the Tarouba Link Road near the Solomon Hochoy Highway.

Police said Mohammed was also shot and was in a weakened state but manage to alert police officers at the station by honking the horn of the vehicle.

There were 11 bullet holes in the vehicle including a shattered window on the front passenger side.

According to police reports, at about 4 am on Saturday, officers were on surveillance at Bloody Bay Road, Roxborough, when they had cause to stop a car with three occupants, a 34-year-old man of Prince Street, Roxborough, a 31-year-old Venezuelan national, and a 37-yearold man also of Prince Street, who was seated in the back seat. The back seat passenger reportedly got out of the vehicle and began shooting at the officers.

They returned fire but the man escaped through some nearby bushes.

The vehicle was searched, and officers found a plastic bag containing 21 packages of marijuana with a street value of $151,125, together with a quantity of cash.

The other two occupants of the car were arrested. Sometime later, police officers responded to a report of a man seeking medical attention for gunshot wounds at the Scarborough Hospital. According to reports it was the 37 year-old who fled the scene. He is warded at hospital under police guard. ASP Sterling Roberts is continuing investigations

The meeting is expected to discuss strategies for improving the way the public is served.

Originally, the meeting was scheduled to take place tomorrow, but it was deferred to the weekend to ensure that there will not be a disruption of services at the authority with the absence of senior staff on a working day.

The meeting will take place two days before the official opening of the new Licensing Authority operations in Caroni.

The office building was constructed by the former People’s Partnership administration but according to Sinanan, the building had to be outfitted before the Licensing Authority could be given the go-ahead to take possession of it.

As a result of the opening of the new operations in Caroni, the Licensing Office in Chaguanas will be closed on Friday to facilitate the transfer of the administrative staff to the Caroni building.

According to Sinanan having visited the Port of Spain Licensing Office two Fridays ago, he ws privy to several inefficiencies which led to the public not being properly served and he took a decision to have all the major administrative staff attend Saturday’s meeting.

He said with the opening of the new Caroni office, staff will be given what he described as ‘a golden opportunity to do things differently.’ Additionally, he noted customer service representatives will be present at the Caroni offices to take complaints from persons who believe they are not being properly served or who believe that their waiting time is too long.

The minister also disclosed that a hotline will be set up at his minister to receive complaints from the public, which he assured will be dealt with in a timely manner, and every attempt will be made to provide staff at the Caroni department with state-of-the-art equipment.

Additional road works will be carried out in the Caroni district to mitigate any traffic issues with the opening of the new offices.

Operations at the Port of Spain Licensing officers are expected to be scaled down with the opening of the Caroni bureau in the near future, including the licensing of heavy equipment which will now take place in Caroni, the minister noted.

The call was made at the Ministry of Works and Transport, Richmond Street, Port-of- Spain, in the presence of PTSC’s Chairman Edwin Gooding and General Manager Ronald Forde; President of NGC-CNG Curtis Mohammed, Chairman of the National Petroleum Marketing Company (NP) Sahid Hosein, and NP’s Chief Executive Officer Bernard Mitchell.

The collaboration between PTSC and NP CNG will facilitate the fuelling of PTSC’s CNG-powered buses in a permanent home and significantly reduce operating costs for the corporation.

Minister Sinanan in his brief remarks noted that the new agreement will enable PTSC to improve its service and efficiency to the nation.

The minister has placed customer service high on the agenda across all state agencies under the purview of the Ministry of Works and Transport.

“Now that PTSC has this permanent station there and with more buses coming on stream we expect that some of the shortfalls we see happening at PTSC in terms of the service will be addressed. All authorities under the Ministry of Works and Transport have to improve on the service that they offer to the population,” he said.

“I expect PTSC to come up to a much higher level of service than they are offering now to the public and I will be holding PTSC Chairman and the Board to that going forward,” he said.

Currently, a temporary CNG station is in operation at the PTSC, Port of Spain compound.

It has been fuelling the Corporation’s CNG buses since 2012. At the time of this temporary station’s commissioning, the PTSC and NGC agreed to eventually build a permanent state of the art CNG service station that efficiently served the needs of the PTSC’s fleet