US Pledges $77M for Caribbean Security

The Caribbean will receive an injection of $77 million in 2012 from the United States to develop anti-crime and anti-violence projects in the region, a number first announced by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Montego Bay, Jamaica earlier this year.

The CBSI, which is a shared security partnership between the Dominican Republic, CARICOM and the US, has identified three core objectives to focus on security threats: the reduction of illicit trafficking, advancing crime-fighting programmes like border protection, and the promotion of social justice through justice sector reform and tackling government corruption.

“We have encountered many challenges but we believe that the CBSI provides a useful and necessary framework for coordination and collaboration with our partners in the region,” said Julissa Reynoso, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central America, the Caribbean and Cuba with the US State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Reynoso, who co-chaired the CBSI meeting this week with St Kitts and Nevis, said her country would be delivering high-speed interdiction boats and relevant equipment to the Eastern Caribbean as part of the US Secure
Seas Effort.

The boats will complement similar vessels in the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. Guyana and Suriname will also receive riverine patrol boats and equipment in 2012.

“We are proud of the accomplishments of the past year under the CBSI,” she said.

The US is also working with CBSI partners to promote the fight against financial crimes and money laundering, along with terror financing. Accordingly, preliminary assessments have been made in Trinidad and Guyana.

Escapee in court on murder charge

Recaptured prisoner Halim Ballack appeared before a Point Fortin magistrate October 17 on charges ranging from murder to kidnapping and robbery with violence. Ballack, 29, of Palo Seco, appeared before Magistrate Indrani Cedeno one week after his escape from cells at the Point Fortin Police Station.

He and fellow prisoner Malcolm Fraser escaped on October 13. After seven days of searches by South Western Division police officers, he was recaptured on Sunday October 16 in a house at Beach Road, Palo Seco, a few meters way from his home. He is scheduled to reappear in court on October 31.

The charges against him are that on October 13 at the Point Fortin Police Station he escaped lawful custody; on September 25 at Reservoir Hill, Point Fortin, he murdered Wayne Carrington; and on September 25, at Hercules Drive, Egypt Village, Point Fortin, he robbed Elizabeth Sunny of a gold chain and pendant, valued at $1,400. Ballack is also accused of taking John Jackson against his will, obbing him of his cellphone, valued at $198, $28 in cash and used personal violence against him. Decked in a burgundy T-shirt and grey denim pants, Ballack gazed nonchalantly around the courtroom as the charges were read to him.

He stood silently for most of the proceedings but when he was leaving uttered a few words to a lone relative in the courtroom.

4 cops in court on stolen casino money charges

After two years of wrangling, the preliminary inquiry into charges that four police officers pocketed stolen casino money in 2009 officially began October 17 with the State’s first witness giving evidence.

State prosecutor Sanara Toon called Anti-corruption Bureau officer, Woman Corporal Annmarie Mac Millian, as her first witness in the matter before acting Deputy Chief Magistrate Rajendra Rambachan.

The officers—Cpl Deopersad Jankienanan, Cpl Kishan Harrysingh, PC Anslem Drakes and PC Regan Ramnanan—are facing charges of misbehaving in public office.

They allegedly failed, without reasonable cause or excuse, to hand over to the investigator of a robbery on August 21, 2009 at Club Avenue, Duncan Village, San Fernando, an undetermined sum of money which was part of money taken and recovered. Harrysingh, Drakes and Jankienanan are facing charges of misbehaviour in public office by stealing an undetermined sum of cash from the casino. Jankienanan also faces, together with Ramnanan, an additional charge of beating prisoner Mark Austin while he was in police custody.

Mac Millian testified for just over one-and-a-half hours and was cross-examined by attorney Jagdeo Singh, who appeared for Jankienanan. Attorney Chateram Sinanan also cross-examined Mac Millian. Attorney Vernon de Lima, who represents Drakes, reserved his cross-examination. Attorney Kevin Ratiram, who represents Ramnanan, was not in court yesterday. Toon, through Mac Millian, tendered two documents into evidence.

PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar: SoE and curfew to continue

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has said the State of Emergency (SoE) and the curfew (11 pm – 4 am) implemented in several areas of Trinidad will remain in place, until so advised by the security agencies.

Speaking at the Post Cabinet press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair she said the members  of the security agencies spent several hours addressing Cabinet.

She said both measures instituted on August 21, 2011 will be constantly reviewed. The three month SoE will officially end on December 5, 2011.

The Prime Minister said the security agencies have said the SoE and the curfew have been “valuable tools in the fight of crime”. She said the agencies were putting measures in place to deal with crime after the SoE.

The Prime Minister also announced the National Security Operations Centre (NSOC) which allows for all members of law enforcement agencies to share information. She said previously there was no joint planning or sharing of information.

Quoting statistics since the start of the SoE to 6 am on Thursday, the Prime Minister said there have been 3932 arrests. She said 57 persons were arrested for homicides. On a figure of 500 murders a year, she said it meant there were 45 murders per month. Noting that although there were 15 murders in the first month of the SoE, “15 too much” it equated to 70 percent reduction in murders.

Other statistics given by the Prime Minister included 449 for gang related incidents; 745 for drugs; 769 for serious offences; 200 for other offences; 418 for enquiries and the seizure of 1243 ammunition, 29 magazines and 125 firearms. Additionally, three quarter billion in drugs have been seized or destroyed.

Possible life sentence for St. Kitts man who battered girlfriend

After offering a guilty plea to a charge of “attempting to choke” charge, St. Kitts native Keith Godwin faces a possible life sentence to Her Majesty Prison on October 7 when he returns to the High Court for sentencing.

Goodwin was initially charged with the attempted murder of his former girlfriend in her Virgin Gorda home on June 19, but prior to the indictable matter being committed to the High Court, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) changed the charge but the penalty remains the same – a maximum of life in prison.

The 45-year-old man, who is a plumber and electrician, is accused of beating the woman about her body with his hands for some three hours and hitting her above the knee with a baseball bat, while shouting repeated threats to kill her.

The ordeal lasted from around 8pm to after 11pm on Sunday, June 19, 2011.

According to the prosecution, during Godwin’s initial court appearance before Senior Magistrate Valerie Stephens, the act was deliberate and all indications suggested that Goodwin attempted to kill his victim. Magistrate Stevens at the time labeled the allegations as “grave and extremely compelling.”

Goodwin who is represented by attorney Ruthilia Maximea, of Maximea and Co. Law Chambers, is also charged with assault, unlawful assault, attempting to choke and destroying property.

It is also understood that on the day in question the virtual complainant (VC) and the defendant got into an argument that stemmed from accusations of her cheating on him. At the time he was living in Virgin Gorda in the VC’s home, where he held her prisoner during the ordeal.

Caribbean states consider electronic monitoring for criminals

The Turks & Caicos Islands, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, and Virgin Islands are considering the use of electronic monitoring devices to increase supervision of low-risk criminal offenders.

Representatives of the four states were in the Cayman Islands last week to get first-hand knowledge of how the system works.

Officials in Grand Cayman said the magistrate, police sergeant, prison chief, and chief probation officer were Monitoring System fitted with the devices for 24 hours to assessment the system’s capability.

This was part of a three- day factfinding mission sponsored by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, FCO. “This visit to Grand Cayman was an excellent opportunity for officials from other Overseas Territories to look at the Cayman experience of setting up an offender electronic monitoring system,” said FCO Prison Reform Coordinator for the Overseas Territories, Steve Fradley, who helped coordinate the visit.

“All those who came to Cayman have been extremely impressed with everything they have seen and the visit has served to improve links and working relationships between the various agencies in the criminal justice field. Pilot projects on electronic monitoring will now take place in various territories over the next few months.”

The electronic monitoring system on the Grand Cayman is run jointly by the Department of Public Safety’s Electronic Monitoring Centre and The Security Centre Ltd.

PM: ‘Let’s restore St Lucia to good ole days!’

Government officials, members of the media and students from several schools were on hand on Wednesday September 28th for the launch of the United Against Crime campaign. 

The initiative is a bold new approach to fighting crime in Saint Lucia that involves getting citizens more involved in the crime fighting process. The programme seeks to create direct linkages with the police and the public and educate St Lucians about how they can protect themselves from being victims of crime. The programme is also community and youth centered with sustainable ways of curbing crime. As they were ushered into the Sandals ballroom members of the audience received brochures with information about the campaign as well as bookmarks, key rings and notepads all bearing the United Against Crime branding.

Chairing the launch was Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs Esther Brathwaite who explained that the campaign was part of a crime-fighting strategy of the Home Affairs Ministry with the support of the Government of St Lucia.

UAC, said Mrs Brathwaite, is about building partnerships and collaborations. “We are excited about the programme which focuses on a campaign geared towards empowering communities and the youth. We want to attack the root of crime. The evidence is that a disproportionate number of crimes are performed by the youth. We need to deal with the issues of truancy and unsupervised youth after school and late at night.“

Following the Permanent Secretary’s introduction to the programme, Minister for Home Affairs and National Security, Guy Mayers, gave a breakdown of the efforts of the police force in curbing crime. The in depth presentation educated the audience about the state of crime using statistics, patterns and the way forward. Said the Minister: “The complex and multi-dimensional nature of crime requires a multiplicity of interventions that are effectively coordinated in order to achieve meaningful impact. National responses to crime cannot be piece meal and cannot work in isolation from other social development interventions. It is the recognition of crime as a major social development issue that has brought us to this forum here today. St Lucia needs to weave a new social fabric that is robust enough to withstand the stresses of rapid changes taking place in this liberalized and unregulated society. The constant disregard for law and order, the breakdown in family values, the lack of respect for authority, the wanton use of alcohol by minors, the indiscriminate violations of traffic regulations, the high tolerance of stealing from each other and the high level of domestic violence demonstrate a society in decay. We must do better as a society to get our citizens to act more responsibility. Crime prevention is the initiation of proactive, cost-effective measures to reduce the threat of crime or eliminate it all together. I daresay that crime prevention may very well be the only issue on which we find political consensus because we all perceive that safety and security are critical to our psychological functioning and overall wellbeing as a society.”  Senator Mayers called the launch of the UAC campaign “a historic occasion the quest to propel our country forward.”

He gave an overview of the objectives of his ministry and some important information about the causes of crime. In closing the Minister extended an invitation for all to unite against crime.

Following the Minister’s presentation Mrs Jacinta Annius-Lee, an active member of a neighbourhood watch group in the north, read a poem about the UAC campaign.

The Prime Minister’s address then followed. Mr King spoke about unforgettable lessons he had been taught when it came to crime.

Armed bandits unleash terror at Puruni

Terror was unleashed at Puruni, in Region 7, last Sunday October 2 when, around 19:00 hrs, eight armed bandits swooped down on the Piara Landing, invaded several businesses at the location and opened fire indiscriminately, terrorizing and robbing several persons of cash, raw gold and jewellery.

As the robbers continued their ruthless plunder, at least three Brazilian businessmen were shot and wounded in the process.

Among the wounded who were rescued and later treated at the Bartica Hospital are:

* Brazilian shopkeeper Benedito Docerado Oliveira, 56, shot to his right hip and robbed of $1/2M and a quantity of raw gold

* Brazilian Francisco Da Cruz Morias, 44 years, was shot to his right thigh and left foot and robbed of $140,000

* Brazilian shopkeeper Joao De Freitas Mattos, was shot to his right leg and robbed of $60,000

Others robbed, but not wounded include:

* Brazilian Mario Odessa Da Silva, robbed of jewellery and $1/2M;

* Curtis Bannette, 34 years, robbed of $110,000 and a cell phone;

* Brazilian Joao Da Conceicao, 56 years, robbed of $30,000;

* David Coates and Carlton Small, less seriously injured, were beaten about the body, and sent away after  being treated at the Bartica Hospital.

Meanwhile, a team of police ranks, acting on information received, yesterday went into another area in the Mazaruni where they reportedly arrested three suspects and recovered an Uzi Sub-Machine gun and a handgun.

The police said they also recovered the bodies of two persons who appeared to have drowned. One is that of a suspect while the other is that of a man wearing a Rasta hairstyle who was taken hostage by the perpetrators to drive the getaway boat.

Information received revealed that while the boat was travelling along the Mazaruni River it overturned and several persons may have drowned. No sign was seen of the boat that was stolen by the armed men.

The police are still in the area pursuing three other suspects. Another man who is suspected of having transported the armed men to the Piara Landing had been earlier arrested at Piara and taken into custody. 

Police said the operation is continuing. They are urging anybody who has seen anything or know of any information that can help to come forward.

They do not want activities like this to keep occuring, especially since there is a State of Emergency in Trinidad and Tobago,

Man fined $7,500 for chopping wife

Carol Brereton testified, on Monday October 3, that for 20 years she lay in bed in fear of her husband who kept objects under his pillow and threatened to chop her.

The husband, Wayne Brereton, was found guilty of maliciously wounding his wife, and fined a total of $7,500. The trial of Brereton was heard before San Fernando Magistrate Alicia Chankar.

On October 4, 2009, Brereton chopped his wife on the face and left hand at their home at Tarouba, San Fernando.

Carol Brereton testified that she was married to her attacker for 25 years and spent 20 of those years living in fear.

She described their relationship as “sad”.

“Every night I go to sleep, my husband will have something under his pillow. I was scared. He will tell me he will kill me and chop me up. This was going on for over 20 years,” Brereton cried.

The couple’s daughter Canissa Brereton, testified as a State witness. She said she intervened during the attack, but her father choked her when she tried to take the cutlass. 

Wayne Brereton brought his mother to testify in his defence.

The 63-year-old grandmother denied there was any argument that day. Brereton also testified, claiming that his wife was cut with a cutlass she brandished during a fight with his mother.

But Chankar found him guilty of the offence.

Asked if he had anything to say to his wife and child, a tearful Brereton told his wife he was sorry. She accepted the apology.

He held his daughter, kissed her on the cheek and told her, “I love you.” The daughter had testified he never told her he loved her before. 

Chankar fined him $5,000 for wounding the woman. He was given three months to pay the money or serve 12 months, with hard labour. He was also ordered to pay his wife $2,500 in compensation or spend six weeks in prison.

“I could have sent you to jail, but sometimes that does not help. You need to pay for what you did. You need to get some help. I think one of the greatest steps is that your wife forgave you,” Chankar said. 

Curfew murder in Diego

Jeffery Joseph, a 38-year-old father of two was found murdered in Diego Martin on Monday October 3. The murder occurred while the curfew was still in effect.

Joseph’s relatives — sister Sophia Joseph, cousin Eastlyn Farrell, niece Teneisha Joseph and aunt Sylma Maughn — reported that they were contacted shortly after 8 am and told that “Green Man’s” (Joseph) body was found at an abandoned house at Agostini Trace, Diego Martin.

Police and relatives reported that there were chop wounds to Joseph’s head, face, hands and upper body. An autopsy found that he died as a result of the wounds. Joseph’s family said that on September 20 he got into an altercation with some persons over a cellphone and was beaten later that day. Joseph was at home washing clothes on Sunday when he left his Green Hill home at about 3 pm saying he was “going to make a spin”. 

When 11 pm reached and Joseph did not return home, his relatives became concerned but did not think anything bad had happened.

Residents of Green Hill reported hearing someone crying out at about 2 am yesterday but they did not investigate because of the curfew.

At about 7 am persons in the neighbourhood made checks and found Joseph’s body at the abandoned house. The police was subsequently alerted.

National Security Minister John Sandy said, on September 28, the National Security Council met to discuss the curfew which was first introduced when the government announced a State of Emergency in the country on August 21.

The curfew was introduced then from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. but was later shortened to 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Sandy said the curfew was being reviewed constantly and it could be adjusted again to the original 9 p.m.  to 5 a.m. timeframe or it could be removed.

“There is the possibility it could even be removed,” he said.

Vendors in street brawl

A cutlass attack on a group of vendors on Mucurapo Street, San Fernando on Saturday October 1 left passers-by scampering for safety and business people rushing to close their doors against the unruly crowd. One person had to be treated at hospital. 

According to police reports at about 5.30 pm Saturday, a well-known CD and DVD vendor began arguing with another vendor accusing him of encroaching on his turf on Mucurapo Street. As the quarrel escalated, the vendor and one of his associates pulled out two cutlasses and began brandishing them at the man he had earlier accused of occupying part of his space.

As the man began firing chops, other vendors joined in the fracas, sending frightened passers-by running for cover and worried business owners hurrying to close their doors for fear of being attacked. Store owners along Mucurapo Street said that for years they have complained about the vendors in front their store. They say the attacker is a nuisance who is in the habit of playing music very loudly all day and night so much so that a doctor who has his private practice on the street is at pains to hear his patients.

The business people who spoke on condition of anonymity say they are powerless against the man as he is very violent and boasts that he is a friend of the police. In fact, they say when they call both the City Police and the San Fernando Police they seldom come. The police reportedly took more than 20 minutes to arrive on the scene, giving the attackers ample time to brandish their cutlasses and threaten the rival group of DVD vendors. Newsday was in time to see a bottle striking a vendor in his face as the fracas intensified.

When police arrived on the scene, they were forced to call for back-up but the attackers were eventually disarmed and taken to the police station. 

One person was taken to the hospital.

Street vending in San Fernando has been a source of contention over the years, so much so that about three months ago, a San Fernando magistrate summoned Mayor Marlene Coudray, and the CEO Deodath Ragoobar of the San Fernando City Corporation to court. The magistrate had instructed them to clear the streets of all vendors, telling them that by doing so the police will be free to attend to other matters. To date, High Street and Mucurapo Street, the two major thoroughfares remain crowded with vendors. Responding to news of the fracas, Coudray reminded that street vending is illegal in San Fernando.  

She said some vendors were issued with licenses but they have since expired. Coudray said that she met recently with vendors, taxi drivers, and members of traffic management of the Ministry of Works to discuss the crowding in the city and a decision was taken to reinstate the taxi stand on Mucurapo Street, and the area where the vendors currently occupy will revert to a taxi stand. The mayor, meanwhile, is calling n the police to monitor the situation and pay close attention to what is happening.

Letter from the Publisher

Nirvan Balkissoon

Undoubtedly the situation in Trinidad and Tobago is not getting any better. The crime plan that the PM has put in place is not working as many of the people held are being released due to a lack of evidence to convict.

Kamla’s crime plan is nothing more than a method of diverting the people’s attention from current mess that the PP Government find themselves in and that being there’s no real crime plan.

T&T just celebrated Republic day on September 24th, although Trinidad and Tobago became a Republic on August 1st, 1976. The event is celebrated as a public holiday on September 24th because this is the date when the first Parliament met under the new Republican Constitution.. so, after 35 years we still can’t get it right, the country continues to be plague with corruption and criminals and still no concrete crime plan from Kamla and the PP Government.

Some of you may think that I am hard on the PM and the Government but they are the ones who promised to make changes and correct the problems that have plagued the country for years. People are frustrated and I am seeing another migration of people leaving Trinidad and Tobago, but it’s the rich who can afford it and escape, the poor will stay and face the reality of what Trinidad and Tobago has become.

Last Saturday’s march in San Fernando was clearly a sign that people are not happy, these are the facts, I am not making these things up. Michael Harris of the Trinidad Express who has been for many years a writer and commentator on politics and society in Trinidad and the wider Caribbean wrote about his assessment of the Government performance.

As far as my assessment is concerned, the most remarkable fact about the tenure  of the People’s Partnership Government after 16 months in office is just how little  has changed in terms of policies and programmes from those pursued by the previous administration. The biggest change has clearly been in the cast of characters. From the Ministers down to the members of the board of the lowliest state enterprise there has been comprehensive change in personnel. But in terms of the script which is being followed it is as though the Manning administration never left.

In whichever sphere of public administration we care to examine, there is not to be discerned any significant change in policy or direction. It is as though the steering mechanism of the ship of state is welded into one position and no matter whose hands are on the helm the direction remains the same. 

This is so whether we look at the overall style of governance or examine each of the functional areas of administration. As far as the overall style of governance is concerned nothing of significance has changed. The dominance of the central executive is still intact and transparency, accountability and consultation are still only terms to which lip service is paid. 

Nothing has been done with regard to even beginning the process of local government reform. Nothing has been done with regard to changing the public procurement processes or even implementing any of the provisions of the Uff report. Nothing has been done with regard to opening up the channels of information. 

And on the issue of constitutional reform the silence from the Government has been deafening. The economy is in stasis. After a short flurry of activity from the previous Minister of Planning on the issue of innovation, economic planning has been reduced to inviting proposals for the development of Invaders Bay. If this proceeds it is going to be no different from Mr Manning’s grandiose waterfront projects.

The Minister of Finance is content to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor in office and rely more and more on deficit financing to keep intact a structure of expenditure which long ago ceased to be sustainable. Not a single one of the hundreds of state enterprises has been shut down; not a single one of the welfare subsidies has been reduced; and CEPEP and URP have more employees today than in the hey-day of the Manning administration.  

In the sphere of education absolutely nothing has changed. The Minister threatened to make the teaching of religion compulsory in schools and secondary school pupils now get laptops. That’s it. No discussions on revamping the curriculum, no discussions of the fact that so many of our students are functionally illiterate, no discussions on how the education system must be overhauled.

In health the story is the same. In fact wherever we look, whether it is in social services, community development, works and infrastructure, transport, tourism, what have you, it is all the same ole!

The only significant difference introduced by this Government as compared to the last is in the area of tackling crime and, in that regard, the introduction of the State of Emergency. And while there may be grave doubts that the State of Emergency will achieve the stated objectives at least it represents a departure from the policies of the previous administration.

It is a well known saying that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and to expect different results. How could this government which campaigned so vigorously against the PNM and all its works, simply come into office and continue with all the structures, the policies and the programmes of the PNM without skipping a beat? And, given that fact, how could anyone declare themselves to be satisfied with the Government’s performance? 

The answer has to be that the different views of the performance of the Government start from different premises as to what is expected of government. Now there was clearly a lot to be said against the style of that administration. So that it is not to be expected that a new government can come into office purporting to have a different style of governance and maintain the same old policies. If the style does not guide the substance then sooner rather than later the substance will surely guide the style.

Fuel-smugglers nabbed

Trinidad’s energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine, on Tuesday October 4, toured two fishing vessels impounded at Coast Guard Base in Staubles Bay, Chaguaramas after  our Guyanese nationals and two Trinis were detained for questioning by Immigration Division officers in connection with the smuggling of a large quantity of diesel which were found in the hold of both vessels.

“It is clear that the vessel has been modified for the transportation of diesel in bulk,” Ramnarine said as he confirmed, “there was a hydro-carbon substance on- board the vessel”, which was contained in hidden compartments built into the lower deck.

The deck has been modified into storage bunkers, while the second level of the vessel has been altered to store drums containing fuel. Officials from the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) yesterday collected samples of the fuel found in the bunkers on both vessels for testing.

The Guyanese men had no proper documentation to be working in TT waters. The two vessels are registered with the Ministry of Agriculture and have authority to operate within TT’s territorial seas.

The men were detained last week Thursday in the Gulf of Paria by coastguard officers. The vessels were believed to be heading to a South American destination. According to reports, CG 16 was on routine patrol in the Gulf of Paria on September 29, when at about 7.48 am, officers observed the two fishing boats, both of which were west of Point Lisas and Claxton Bay respectively.

Coast Guard Public Relations Officer, Lt Kirk Jean-Baptiste said the boats were stopped after officers “noticed the first vessel was low in the water” as if carrying cargo of great weight. Section Six of the Defence Act allows coastguard officers to stop any vessel whose activities are deemed suspicious.

Jean-Baptiste said officers became suspicious of the captain’s behaviour and a strong scent of fuel emanating from the lower levels of both vessels. Officers became even more suspicious of the lack of fishing equipment and bait on-board, after crew members claimed they were on a fishing expedition.

Officers also found trash pumps and hoses which contained a substance resembling fuel in the lines, concealed inside the bow and stern of the vessels. ustoms and Excise Comptroller, Fitzroy John said the fuel found on-board the two vessels was yet to be measured but assured that an investigation was underway.

“There is still a lot of information we need to collect and make a determination as to whether there is sufficient evidence to prosecute,” John said, adding that,“Maybe in another week or so, we should be in a position to make some final decisions.”

Asked if this latest discovery could be linked to 90,000 gallons of diesel found at Sea Lots on August 23, which it was claimed was being sold on the black market, John replied, “There is no conclusive evidence that the diesel seizure at Sea Lots is linked to this... but that (Sea Lots) investigation is nearing completion.”

Ramnarine said he had taken a note to Cabinet last Thursday in which he proposed several administrative measures to be implemented at the ministerial level to monitor the fuel subsidy which this year is in the vicinity of $4 billion. He said government will also look closely at cracking down on the illegal fuel trade.

DPP made right move

Dwayne Gibbs

“The DPP has to do what’s right, and he’s done that,” was Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs’s comment in response to the Director of Public Prosecutions’ decision to drop the charges against 21 men from Nelson Street.

In a rare move on Monday September 12, DPP Roger Gaspard went to court himself and dropped the cases, saying there was not enough evidence to prosecute the men.

In an exclusive interview on Saturday September 17, Commissioner Gibbs agreed with Gaspard’s move.

“It’s up to us to provide enough evidence to take the case through the court, and we haven’t gathered enough evidence to meet that threshold,” he said, noting, “The new legislation came in a week before.”

Gibbs was referring to the Anti-Gang Act, which was proclaimed on August 15. “We’re trying to feel our way through the legislation,” he said.

“A lot of people were picked up on intelligence we had with regard to their being in gangs. But the intelligence we had before August 15 couldn’t be used for those charges,” he explained. “It could be used to pick them up, but not to charge them. Now we’ve got them in custody, we can put the evidence together.”

Asked about claims that the police had been told to round people up first and find evidence afterwards, Gibbs said, “I’ve heard that too.”

He added that police officers knew what was right and had no obligation to obey if they were given illegal orders.

Unlike the DPP, Gibbs welcomed the announcement that the Attorney General is to supply teams of lawyers to work with the police to prosecute those held during the State of Emergency.

“They’re consultants,” he said.  “They’re here to help us with their legal expertise, and we’re learning so that we can present better evidence.” Gibbs said the police were in consultation with the DPP “almost on a daily basis.”

He said the police were unable to use the videotapes of Nelson Street residents apparently carrying out robberies, because there were no complainants. “It’s not that we did nothing,” he said. “We talked to the victims and they didn’t want to give evidence.” He admitted that it was frustrating when witnesses were too frightened to give evidence.

Gibbs was in favour of the State of Emergency, saying, “Good things may come out of it. It gives the country an opportunity to settle down, a respite. It lets the police regroup as an organisation, build relationships with the communities, get social development going. We can gather more intelligence and more understanding of the criminal world.”

Asked why a State of Emergency had been necessary in order for the police to make some of the arrests, he said: “We can do searches and seizures without warrants, it gives police powers to the Defence Force that weren’t there before, so there’s an increased number of people doing policing work.”

However, numbers alone were not enough, he said.

He cautioned that the State of Emergency would “not give the public the immediate end to crime that they expect. Crime will continue. But we intend to bring the levels down. We  have a remit to ensure they stay down and decrease further.”

Looking back at his first year in office, Gibbs said there had been achievements.

“There has been substantial change. There’s been a 20 per cent drop in serious crime and a 20 per cent drop in homicides, up to the (start of the) State of Emergency.”