Young chairs Security Council talks as murders spikeDCP reveals plan to ramp up patrols at banks, hospitals

Senior Reporter

jesse.ramdeo@cnc3.co.tt

As the country’s murder count climbed yesterday, fuelled by a spate of murders, acting Prime Minister Stuart Young chaired a meeting of the National Security Council at Whitehall, Port-of-Spain.

The meeting saw the various heads of the protective services, who were called in, presenting “their immediate plans and initiatives to confront the violent and intrusive crimes and criminal activity taking place,” according to a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister.

A statement posted on the OPM’s Facebook page with a photo, featured Young chairing the meeting surrounded by National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds, Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher, Chief of Defence Staff Air Vice Marshall Darryl Daniel and Strategic Services Agency (SSA) director Anthony Phillips-Spencer to name a few.

The National Security Council meeting came a few hours after Deputy Commissioner of Police Junior Benjamin revealed there had been an increase in homicides in three policing divisions.

Speaking at a TTPS media briefing at the Police Administration Building, Port-of-Spain, Benjamin assured there would be proactive policing and continued joint exercises, given the brazen killings which took place in hospitals and other public spaces in the past months.

“Police officers in their patrols would be not just visiting businesses but they will be visiting banks, hospitals, and doing holistic patrols, not just involving mobile patrols but quasi patrols, where they will come and park their vehicles and do some walking. It is about taking our patrolling on a different level,” Benjamin said.

Only on Tuesday, NWRHA worker Jamaal Watts was shot dead at the St James Medical Complex.

The DCP said police officers will continue to be on high alert, which began in July following a weekend of over 15 murders.

“What I’m saying is that we have not stopped and will not stop. We are continuing to intensify the strategies that we have. We are going to look at the different areas and there is going to be prevention, intervention and suppression strategies,” the DCP stressed.

Benjamin lamented the killings of 16-year-old Shenelle Singh and brother, Keston, 21, on Wednesday. He also said investigations were ongoing into the triple murder that rocked Icacos Point, Cedros, yesterday.

While he revealed murders were up in the Port-of-Spain, Eastern and Tobago Divisions, Benjamin said crime was not out of control.

“Even as we look back within a five-year period, we have seen the Port-of-Spain Division would have an increase in terms of murders. The only year there was an increase or a number that is higher is in 2019, where it was 80, at this time there is 70,” he explained.

He said data also pointed to an uptick in the number of domestic-related crimes in the Southern Division.

Asked what may be contributing to the spike in gang violence, Benjamin suggested turf war and drugs.

“We recognise that sometimes it is a fight for turf, sometimes these things are normally linked with drugs. We are presently seeking to get to the bottom in terms of dealing with all gang-related violence, in terms of dealing with it from a scientific standpoint.”

Today, the National Security Minister and the top law enforcement officials will hold a news conference on the upsurge in murders and violent crime.

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