Moruga MP upset over businessman’s abduction… “T&T is in a crisis of crime”

The Member of Parliament for Moruga, Michelle Benjamin, has expressed outrage at last night’s abduction of Moruga businessman Terrance Thomas by armed men posing as Police and Army officers.

Terrence Thomas, 55, was at his business, Top Shotters Furniture Shop, in St Mary’s Village, Moruga, around 9 pm on Monday with a workman when the ski mask-wearing assailants entered, claiming to be police officers.

The fake officers said they had a warrant to search for arms and ammunition. When he asked for their names and to see the search warrant, the men became annoyed and handcuffed Thomas.  He was taken to his home, where his family was tied up and robbed.

The bandits, two of whom wore police tactical clothing and three in camouflage, are still at large.

The Moruga MP says crime has “escalated to unprecedented levels” and citizens are living in a “terrifying reality” in which they cannot rely on the police to protect them.

“When criminals can impersonate law enforcement officers and commit heinous acts, it is a clear indication that we are losing control of our communities,” MP Benjamin stated in a release issued on the matter.

She wants an urgent review of the TTPS’ operations in rural areas.

“I demand an immediate increase in police presence in Moruga/Tableland, as well as comprehensive crime-fighting strategies to protect our vulnerable citizens,” her statement said. “For example, I have constantly called for the St. Mary’s Police Post to be turned into a full police station, properly staffed and resourced.”

MP Benjamin says the Police Service must be equipped with the resources it needs in order to protect citizens because, “lives are at stake”.

“We cannot sit idly by as our communities descend into chaos,” she said.

“It is clear that our nation is in a crisis of crime,” she added.

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