A 30-year-old man who was wanted for a series of shootings and major robberies in Central Divsion, was arrested yesterday at Main Road, Chaguanas. Reports revealed that around 9 am yesterday, a party of officers led by Sgt Dennis Housend, Ag Sgt Ajith Persad and including PCs Guelmo and Toolaram were on mobile patrol, when they saw the suspect walking along Main Road, Chaguanas. The man was promptly arrested and taken to the Chaguanas Police Station where he was charged with five firearm offences. The charges stemmed from an incident two weeks ago at Todds Road, Caparo in which Nigel Virgil Reyes, 19, was shot in the abdomen.

Reyes reported to the police that around 8.30 pm on Friday August 13, he was at his home when he had an argument with a man known to him. He said that during the argument he was shot in the abdomen. Reyes was rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he was treated and warded. He was released from hospital on Monday. Police investigators said yesterday that the man arrested will be placed on identification parades for a series of major robberies in Central Division. They feel that with the arrest of the man they may be able to solve a number of crimes. The man had been placed on the most wanted list for Central Division.

A STATEMENT made at a People’s National Movement meeting by Noel Garcia, Chief Executive Officer of the National Housing Authority (NHA), days before Local Government elections, became the subject of a second High Court action on Tuesday by squatters of Tarouba Village, near San Fernando. But for the second occasion in the past three weeks, the squatters lost in another Judicial Review application against NHA, regarding their status on the lands. Madame Justice Mau-reen Rajnauth-Lee on Tuesday refused to grant leave on the ground that Garcia’s statements to the squatters amounted to a promise to them that they will not be evicted.

Earlier this year, the NHA issued notices to 87 squatters to quit occupation and to break down their dwelling structures within seven days. Failing to obey, the notices stated, would result in the NHA breaking down the structures. The squatters stopped the eviction by filing an application for Judicial Review. But on July 31, Justice Nolan Bereaux dismissed four grounds on the Judicial Review application. The judge held the view that there was an apparent grab for lands at Tarouba and the State was entitled to remove trespassers. Two weeks ago, the squatters filed another application. They contended that on July 7, two weeks before the election, Garcia, together with Ian Atherly, held a meeting with the squatters at the Tarouba Recreation Ground. Atherly was PNM’s campaign manager for San Fernando West MP Diane Seukeran and is now Mayor of San Fernando.
Present also at that meeting was the PNM’s Local Government candidate for Tarouba North, Daniel Dookie.

Filed by Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj SC, instructed by attorney Garnet Mungalsingh, a transcript of Garcia’s speech to the residents was tendered along with the Judicial Review application. It quoted in part, Garcia’s statement: “It is the intention of the Government not to displace persons. We will not unilaterally move or demolish people’s homes.”  The residents stated that Garcia’s statement amounted to a promise or an undertaking. A letter by Mungal-singh on August 7 to the NHA requested a written undertaking from the authority, based on Garcia’s statement, that the squatters’ homes would not be demolished. On August 14, NHA’s attorneys Gopeesingh, Martineau and Edwards, replied stating that there was no ground on which judicial review proceedings can be filed against the NHA.

That same day, the second Judicial Review application was filed in which the squatters sought to have the High Court review the decision of the NHA’s refusal to give the written undertaking. On Tuesday, the matter came up in the San Fernando High Court before Justice Rajnauth-Lee. The judge heard legal submissions from Russell Martineau SC, instructed by attorney Deborah Peake, representing the NHA, as well as Maharaj. Justice Rajnauth-Lee held that despite the threat of the NHA’s notice of eviction, she was convinced that the residents, based on Garcia’s statements, had no reason to fear eviction without dialogue from the NHA. The judge refused to grant leave. An appeal was filed against the decision on Tuesday.

AGRICULTURE Minister John Rahael on Tuesday vowed to resist the growth of any organised chicken cartel by local poultry producers. Rahael made the disclosure while touring the Marilissa sheep and goat farm, Scotts Trace, Penal. Rahael, who pointed out that Ministry officials were in “constant contact” with poultry producers since the price increases of last July, which saw the local food staple soar above the $4.70 per pound mark, said the increase was the work of “one or two chicken producers.” “We want to guarantee the citizens of this country that this Government will not allow a cartel to develop in any industry whatsoever, including the poultry industry,” Rahael said.

In an ominous warning, the Minister pointed out that Government had, as an option, the “flexibility” to reduce the various import duties on imported chicken. “Tariffs and surcharges on imported chicken is almost 88 percent, so Government has that flexibility to remove that surcharge and import duty altogether,” he said. However, Rahael said that this option was the “last thing we would want to do” as Government was actively encouraging producers to get into both the upstream and downstream aspect of poultry production. He identified the downstream markets of breeding farms and hatching eggs as two areas for “tremendous growth opportunities” for producers. Rahael was visibly impressed by the operations at Marilissa Farms which, over the past eight years had grown from two goats into a 5,000 sheep and goat operation. He also promised to negotiate with the Finance Ministry for the removal of the 100 percent import duties on tags used to monitor the growth of farm animals.

Legal Affairs Minister Camille Robinson-Regis, yesterday stated that the Cabinet will be examining the removal of the surcharges and duties that are placed on foreign imports of chicken in the best interest of consumers. She said: “we have seen that prices particularly of staple foods like chicken have been increasing at an unprecedented rate for no apparent reason. In these circumstances the government of Trinidad and Tobago is looking at removing the protection that is now afforded to chicken producers, because we have come to recognise that all of us are consumers and consequently no one group or no monopoly should take advantage of consumers in a way that result in, in effect, gouging consumers and leaving them at the mercy of one group of persons.”

This statement was heartily applauded by persons gathered for the launch of the sensitisation programme on disability for supermarkets, held yesterday outside the Tru Valu Supermarket in Valsayn. Robinson-Regis added that business people have acted in a way that was detrimental to the consumers and said that because of the numerous complaints regarding the insurance industry too, and in particular motor vehicle insurance, the ministry is currently examining that particular industry with the objective of protecting and enlightening the consumers of TT. She however praised the banking sector for the reduction of some of their service charges. The launch yesterday was a collaborative effort of the Consumer Affairs Division in the Legal Affairs Ministry, the Disability Affairs Unit with the Social Services Delivery, Office of the Prime Minister, the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the Supermarkets Association of Trinidad and Tobago.

Earlier, the Chamber’s David O’Brien told the gathering that three major supermarkets will be trained in the technique of serving customers with disabilities as well as the elderly, especially focusing on their mobility while doing everyday purchases. He said too: “We hope other businesses will take cue from today’s initiative and devise their own projects to make their environments more accessible.” Senator Christine Kangaloo who also spoke at the launch said that the government was working assiduously to address the concerns of the differently-abled in the shortest possible time but that immediate solutions cannot be all had at once. She said the removal of obstacles is essential to being a quality nation and an all inclusive society, which is the focus of her Ministry.

She informed the gathering that through the Disability Affairs Unit, action has already commenced, in collaboration with various ministries, to remove both attitudinal and physical barriers affecting persons with disabilities. This year the focus has been on the areas of transportation, public awareness and the environment. She acknowledged that much more needs to be done, and that the initial project launched yesterday was only part of a larger programme aimed at sensitising the entire corporate sector to the needs of the community. Kangaloo ended by saying: “Now is the time to put an end to negative statements and attitudes and highlight the positive impact of what has been done to improve the lives of persons with disabilities.
“We also recognise that much more needs to be done, and as such I take this opportunity to encourage all social partners to play your part in working towards a Trinidad and Tobago, that is accommodating, understanding, responsive and accessible to our fellow citizens who are differently-able, but who are very capable and independent.” Presentations of cheques and flowers were made to several differently-abled groups during and at the end of the ceremony.

PAIN, and in some instances horror, was etched on the faces of some of the applicants who did not pass a dictation examination to enter the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) as Special Reserve Police (SRP) officers. Close to 13,000 applicants showed up at the nine police divisions across the country yesterday, but only about half of them heard their names.  Only the names of those who passed the dictation exercise were called. Senior officers told Newsday yesterday that it was a sad state, and it reflected the poor education system that the country has to work with. Some of the applicants who wrote the SRP dictation examination did not finish, others wrote two lines, some wrote nothing at all, while one individual got only one word —“Robbery” — correct.

That word was one of 138 the applicants had to spell.  The passage itself was chosen by Acting Commissioner of Police, Everald Snaggs.
The topic of the passage was the “Functions of Government,” which sought to explain the making of the country’s laws.  The passage was sourced from the Module in Social Studies with School Based Assessment (SBA) Guide and CXC questions, and was placed on page 105. The book was written by Rampersad Ramsawak and Rev Ralph R Umraw. Reports from all nine Divisions show that just under 50 percent of the applicants passed the dictation exercise which was supposed to have been read three times to the applicants, some of whom included retired police officers. However, some of them complained that the passage was read only once, and that they could not hear the PA system. Others said that the words were “too hard” and that they had lots of trouble with the word “chaos.”

At the Barataria Junior Secondary School, some of the unsuccessful applicants asked to repeat the exam. They were blanked. One of the unsuccessful applicants, Merlicia Bibby, 23, said she was totally shocked at the results.  She said she wrote dictation exercises for the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard as well as the Defence Force. “I passed them both, but I don’t know what went wrong this time” Bibby said.  She added that she may have missed out a “t” in the word “committed,” and that she probably spelt “chaos” incorrectly.  While she did not want to say it outright, Bibby said she believed she might have been cheated. “I will just have to apply for a job elsewhere,” she ended. Bibby was one of 706 who sat the dictation exercise in the North Eastern Division which includes areas such as Morvant, Barataria and San Juan. Of those 706, 320 passed. There were other complaints from other  applicants some of whom claimed there was nepotism and bribery involved in the exams.  One individual who asked not to be identified, said they were made to understand that some of the applicants were “already inside.”

Yesterday, Police Association President, acting Insp Christopher Holder said the results were expected, since most of the applicants are unemployed, unskilled and are away from reading and writing. “Society is the social manufacturer of the citizens we enlist in the Police Service,” Holder said.  He explained that if one is in a positive environment, positive things will happen, and a similar situation will occur if the situation is reversed. Those who passed the dictation exercise filled out registration forms yesterday and relevant documents, including birth certificate and recommendations were checked.  The next step for them is likely to be a thorough medical examination, for which a date has not yet been set. The Police Service is looking for 1000 additional officers as part of Minister of National Security Howard Chin Lee’s fight against crime.

A Laventille man appeared before Port-of-Spain magistrate Melvin Daniel charged with the June 14 murder of Kareem Stedman and several unrelated weapons offences. Hayden “Buju” Richards, 22, unemployed, of Sandy Trace, St Barb’s, allegedly murdered the URP foreman as he and his girlfriend entered his home on the night of June 14. The gunman, who was reportedly hiding in the yard, shot Stedman nine times about the body. Stedman was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he later died while receiving treatment for the gunshot wounds. The charge was laid indictably by Cpl Sookdeo of the Besson Street CID on Tuesday.

Richards was also charged with wounding Nigel Harry on July 2 with intent to do grievous bodily harm, possession of arms, possession of ammunition, possession of arms with intent to endanger life, possession of ammunition with intent to endanger life. The five charges were laid indictably by PC Brown of the Besson Street CID. The man was not represented by an attorney. Magistrate Daniel transferred the murder matter to the 8th Magistrates’ Court and adjourned it to September 5. The wounding and weapon possession matters were all transferred to the 4th Magistrates’ Court to be called on the same date.

 

Prime Minister Patrick Manning lamented that youngsters are not as innocent as they might once have been, addressing a conference on family life held by the National Muslim Women’s Organisation at Queen’s Hall on Tuesday. Noting that we live in a changing world, he said changes could be positive or negative, and that there were some changes we could do without. Manning said: “Perhaps hardly anywhere else is the negative fallout from rapid change more apparent than in respect of the changing values among our young people…It is not my intention to discuss such changes at this time. Suffice it to say however that as a global trend the age of innocence of our young people keeps going down. What children are prepared to do and say, indeed what they are prepared to practice often seem and prove to be of a far more worrisome nature than in times past. “Our children are today far more exposed and there can be no doubt that the negative competing influences beckoning them are far greater in number and intensity.”

Noting that our challenge was to offer children positive options that were just as compelling as the negative, Manning said: “The State cannot do it alone. The State, the family and the community all have important roles to perform. This is a collective responsibility.” He earlier noted that Islam emphasised the brotherhood of man without marks of social distinction and that the Holy Qur’an admonished that we be promoters of peace. Manning congratulated the organisers of the event which he hailed as a demonstration of the power and potential of our womenfolk.

A SAN FERNANDO man who attempted to scam groceries and drinks by pretending to be a police officer, was jailed for one year yesterday. Roland Lookhoor, of Golconda Village, told Point Fortin Magistrate Herbert Charles, that he tried the trick because he “always wanted to be a police.” The court heard that yesterday around 11.30 am, Lookhoor entered a supermarket on Guapo Road and announced himself as being one “Corporal Singh” of Siparia CID, to proprietor Robert Tang Hap.

Lookhoor then requested a quantity of groceries and drinks, claiming that it was intended for a lime the police department was having at Clifton Beach. Tang Hap obliged the request, but unknown to Lookhoor, the businessman also contacted the Siparia CID. A party of police officers visited the scene and caught Lookhoor red-handed. Genuine policeman, Cpl Culbert Straker, charged Lookhoor with impersonating a police officer.