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02:20Welcome to Beyond the Tape, I'm your host Marc Bessant and wherever you may be viewing in Trinidad and Tobago and of course worldwide,
02:49it's Friday of course, TGIF and it certainly doesn't feel like a Friday but we have a southerner with us today.
02:58I want to welcome Corporal Ramnanan from the Southern Division.
03:02Of course he deals with all the legal matters that the police will obviously be faced with in that area and he also does a lot of other things and of course I want to welcome you.
03:13Thank you Mr. Bessant, it's always a pleasure being here, third time around and good afternoon Trinidad and Tobago.
03:20Thank you for having me again.
03:22So one of the things that's just emerging we understand was that the murder accused Alana Mathura, she passed at the Montauk Hospital this afternoon.
03:35If you recall two weeks ago she was charged alongside her husband Andrew in the death of Hana Mathura whose body apparently was killed and buried in a shallow grave at the home in Vals in Butu Road, those images you saw a short while ago in 2017.
03:57And in March of this year the remains of Hana Mathura was found after a tip off by a relative.
04:03Police would have obviously done a lot of intense investigations into this matter which led to the DPP charging both husband and wife in the murder of Hana Mathura around about two weeks ago and they appeared in court.
04:21So apparently Ms. Mathura sadly was complained of feeling unwell this morning at the women's prison in Golden Grove and effectually she was taken by prison officials to the Montauk Hospital where she passed away just after lunch I believe I was informed.
04:45So I'm very sad that Ms. Mathura has passed away and condolences to her family.
04:53So we wanted to talk about an emerging matter involving a prison officer who would have appeared in court today involving a firearm.
05:05I know you said you were making some pronouncements before the show.
05:09Yes, yes Mark. So in relation to that situation I would have, I together with some of my colleagues and the wider public would have been aware of an article being paraded about from another organization which alluded to some discrepancies in the story itself.
05:31So myself I would have been involved in being aware as to the initial detention and subsequent charging of this individual. He is indeed a prison officer and of course we would not go into much of the details as the matter is before the court.
05:49There were some very erroneous points raised in the article. One starting with the date of the arrest. I can categorically state without fear of contradiction that this person was not arrested on the 28th. He was in fact arrested on the 30th of October. That is borne out by the diary extracts etc.
06:11Also it is almost comical to believe that somehow or the other persons are being asked to read this article and believe that this individual had in his possession during his detention a firearm in his actual possession before he was charged.
06:33To not go into further details as to the court matter let me just clear the air on that. I am categorically stating that that is patently false. That item formed an intricate part of the charge itself that was laid as such it was treated from the get-go as evidence in the matter and was seized immediately upon his arrest on the 30th of October.
06:59So ladies and gentlemen who have read this article and who might be going with the mistaken belief that well this is madness. I would agree. It would appear to be madness. However the police in Southern Division and elsewhere but I will speak with authority on Southern Division. We take this seriously. We take our job seriously and we take our safety seriously.
07:24A situation like that would have compromised not only our lives but the lives of other persons including other persons in custody. That never happened and I am in a position to categorically state that the article is false.
07:55So it's been 21 days and of course we're still hoping and praying and of course his family as well for the safe return of Mr. Ram Narain. The police have said that they are also working assiduously to bring an end and closure to this matter and of course ensure that Mr. Ram Narain is brought back safely to his relatives in Kunupia.
08:19That's Mr. Ram Narain there on the screen. As I said it's 21 days since he was taken and we employ anybody with information about Mr. Ram Narain's whereabouts to contact the Anti-Kidnapping Unit or the nearest police station whether it be in Central Trinidad or elsewhere if you happen to see Mr. Ram Narain or spot Mr. Ram Narain in any way.
08:44So we're going to go to our headlines now so let's take a look at our headlines.
09:14So those were some of the headlines of course within the last 24 hours. We want to take you back to a road traffic accident that took place yesterday morning. Now I was actually passing in that area just moments after this accident that occurred along Arepita Avenue.
09:38And this CCTV footage would show the vehicle heading west in a westerly direction and then there's a vehicle coming across heading in a southern direction. You see there the black Almera tries to kind of evade the vehicle perhaps allegedly running the light and flipping.
10:03It seems that the other vehicle the light was green. Of course I don't think anybody was injured badly but obviously people need to be more cognizant and you would agree with me Corporal Ram Narain about you know in terms of traffic lights and so on and observing when your light has turned red before trying to proceed and you're seeing that there's an intersection that is pretty volatile to maneuver.
10:31Indeed indeed. It has always been said road safety is of paramount importance. It is I will say when you drive on the road you not only drive for yourselves but you drive for everyone else who are users of that road. We must pay attention to those traffic lights and please don't be in too much of a hurry to reach anywhere because the ultimate destination may prove unfavorable with your families.
10:57Yeah and that intersection there at R.L. Peter and Anna Street a couple of accidents have taken place within the last couple of months. I do remember somebody heading in the southerly direction there and also hitting a post or a wall some time ago. It wasn't as bad as this but nevertheless it's a very precarious intersection and I urge all motorists using or producing R.L. Peter and Anna Street.
11:27Avenue or coming across on Anna Street to proceed with caution even if your light is green.
11:34Yes indeed.
11:36So we're gonna take a look at this video here now. It appears to be a drive-by shooting in the Aranguez area.
11:44Seems that individual here is standing outside a vehicle. There's a gentleman standing behind him and not too certain what the person is doing there.
12:05I don't know if this is okay. So it seems that the person was shot and is sitting in the driver's seat. They are trying to render aid to the individual. I'm not stating the individual's condition but we are hopeful that he is alright and he has got the necessary medical attention.
12:28So we have another video of course. This involves quick action by police involving on the Bailaro promenade a chain statue.
12:44Corporal Ramnanan, as we get into the Christmas season, I know you must have some kind of message for people in terms of wearing your jewelry, when to wear it and where to wear it.
12:59Because around this time, I mean it's night time of course, the perpetrator is obviously held by police who were probably in close proximity when the victim would have probably called out for help or made a call and they were able to assist the victim and of course apprehend any suspect in this particular case.
13:22And I just want you to urge of course, as we go into the Christmas season, safety measures that people should be adopting when they go to shop, when they're going out in public spaces.
13:35Yes, so coming into this very busy Christmas season, we tend to see an upsurge in certain types of criminal activity, namely snatching, larcenies, the case might be.
13:49So there are many safety tips that are available. There's no set structure for each individual. However, some general tips that anyone could adopt in order to create a hard target, so to speak, for criminals would be, first of all, be aware of your surroundings.
14:09Always be spatially aware of where you are. Try not to have items such as earbuds, earphones and whatnot distracting you from your task at hand and distracting you from what you are doing and where you are.
14:25Minimize the use and the wearing of flashy jewelry and carrying around large sums of cash. I myself prefer the cashless method of shopping where it's possible. So that reduces or minimizes the chances of you being pickpocketed or being a victim of a robbery or a larceny.
14:48Observe persons. I have seen in recent times an upsurge in persons positioning themselves very close to ATMs, safety deposits at the banks and the like, even groceries and other places where sums of monies would be exchanged, etc.
15:09Please be aware of those things. Observe those persons. Make a report if necessary. No information that is coming to the police is considered bad information. We have the responsibility to act on it accordingly.
15:22And I also want to touch on, of course, when people go into stores and they purchase electronics and all those things, because we are seeing a trend where just recently a cost delivery driver went to a specific area around Port of Spain and he was hijacked and ordered to drive to another location in East Port of Spain where they apparently stole, I think it's three stoves or three stoves.
15:52Three refrigerators, a stove and a Mac. And of course, people will also be walking around with light electronics and say, boy, I've purchased these two and so on. What do you suggest to these people in times of, especially as we come upon Christmas?
16:07Well, for delivery drivers also, we have to be very cautious about where we venture. And I mean, the unfortunate reality of it is the times that we are living in. And we have to be mindful of our safety, more so now than before.
16:23I would ask and urge business owners when they are making provisions for deliveries to try to verify those addresses properly before sending your employees out there. You are sending them out to the world, so to speak, and often could have disastrous results.
16:44So please verify with possibly the station district, possibly TT Post. You could get some information. It's very easy now in this age of information to get the necessary bits and pieces together before you venture into a place where you know your employee might be at substantial risk. So we need to be cognizant of that fact.
17:07Most definitely. As we head to the break, I want to remind you, call us 6231711 extensions 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1997. Stay with us. We'll be back after this.
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19:12Welcome back to Beyond the Tape. Of course it's Friday and joining us today is Corporal Ramnanan from the Southern Division. Kohler, I do believe you have a caller. Kohler, good evening.
19:34Hi, good evening, gentlemen. I am one to normally wear cool and stuff. I actually take off a lot of my cool. I took off my cool just because it's Christmas time and in terms of ETMs and stuff, everyone needs to be vigilant in that regard.
19:59If it is your printer, controller, sums of money or something, just have someone with you. But now is not the season to be wearing cool and stuff like that. So I just wanted to share that with the public.
20:29Strange enough, that is the usual order of things. People tend to feel safer in other jurisdictions than here. But rest assured, the police and other law enforcement are working assiduously to bring back some sense of calm into our beleaguered society.
20:53I just want to switch gears a little bit. I know you were talking about in relation to people who are making purchases, of course, online and using that medium of the marketplace. And I know you have some concerns and some queries and some advice, of course, to those people who would have seen in the past what has happened with people who are going and purchasing stuff and going to meet people.
21:23Yes. So, ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure most of you would be aware of the Facebook marketplace. There's an old saying, if a deal is too good to be, it seems too good to be true, it usually is.
21:39So for me, in my right sense, is to consider purchasing an iPhone 15 for $1,000. That's too good to be true. Also, we need to be a little more cognizant as to what we are doing.
22:00I think it is high time that we understand the dangers in venturing to locations. And I don't want to pinpoint any particular location for fear of stigmatizing that area. But there are places that we are aware that robberies are very common.
22:17Marketplace, Facebook marketplace robberies are very common. So if we know it's common, let us use some common sense and try to do your transactions in a manner that would minimize your risk of becoming a victim.
22:36In the Southern Division, Princeton more so, we have adopted a policy where persons come to the station, they would have given their address for delivery or drop off as Princeton Police Station. We have no issue with that.
22:50Because if we could reduce crime by preventing at least one person being robbed or their items taken from them, then that is a success by any measure. So we allow those persons to quickly conduct their transactions on the station compound and then they go their ways.
23:09It is a far cry from having them go to some remote location and then end up being robbed. Or even worse, we don't know what is on the minds of these would-be criminals. So we need to use a little common sense. And I don't want to sound as if I'm commenting on the citizenry. But it is high time that we take responsibility to a certain degree for our own safety.
23:34Alright, I hope they heed your advice, sir. I do believe you have another call on the line. Caller, good evening.
23:42Yes, good day. I'm the Secretary of the Department of Safaristan. I'm the Deputy Officer. I ran a gold. Gold has just shot me a lifespan. Seriously. Simple as that. I'm Officer.
23:56Just went there to Safaristan. I'm a Saudi consul in a bad place. And all these people go and meet in all these bad streets. Lavantel, Belmont, these places, Dubai. What's wrong with these people? They don't listen. They don't care.
24:11I only sent them because we couldn't meet in certain stations. Also, we had a large transaction. They realized we met in their place. So they don't stop. I don't know. I do feel sorry for them fellows. Watch me. I'll find police. I'll meet them alone.
24:25Good day, sir.
24:28Someone heeds the call. I thank the caller for raising those issues. I didn't want to call any names of places, as I said. But that is the reality of what we are facing today.
24:39So also, just to add to what I would have spoken about before with the when you order this stuff, try to find reputable sources to do your transactions from. There are many reputable websites and sources that you could get your items from. So try to find those going forward.
25:00Right. Another call on the line. Caller, good evening.
25:04Yes, good afternoon to the panel there.
25:06Good afternoon, sir.
25:08Wonderful program. I want to point something out. I tried to get it on when Copper Alley was here. But good point that you speak here. I believe that you all have said over and over, Trinidadians, including myself, are not save them. We like deals.
25:27And because of these deals, all these short bargains, come and meet me here. Come and meet me here. So we're talking now until next year. And it's going to happen because money is a dangerous thing.
25:39Yes, sir.
26:01Right. You are quick, for instance. You go to the court. Somebody was owing you money, whether it's a dealer or who, to do some sort of transaction. The court has awarded you the money to get the money.
26:15And within a certain amount of days, within 28 days, the court awarded that the person should pay you back the money. They refuse to pay you back the money. And after this, now, you have to go back to the court and the court says, you have to take a lawyer now to come to get the money that you're trying to get, which is the court and the magistrate or the judge award you to get.
26:40All these things causing crime, you know. Because, I mean to say, the magistrate award you the money and they get $5,000 for the man. He did not decide to give you the money. And it's going on and on. So when we look at it, what's causing these petty crimes, too, is people not upholding the direction of the law in the land.
27:02And it's nothing going nowhere. Because the police are tight. Sometimes when you go to the police and they will afford to assist you. For instance, a man of $25, when you go to the police, a long time the police will go and say, man, this is my money. All right, it's coming for you. Now the police say they can't do nothing. Go to the petty civil court and you'll go.
27:25The petty civil court takes six months. And all the time you're with your money, your children are hungry. And it's going on and on. This is the point I wanted to bring to you, officer. That the judiciary, the police need to change the whole system in how they're doing things. And the police have authority to take full time and they're not doing that. Good evening.
27:46Yes. So I take the point of the gentleman. And it is indeed, whilst not speaking for on behalf of the judiciary, being an attorney at law, I'm also keenly aware of some of the difficulties faced by litigants in the civil courts.
28:02It is indeed sometimes quite a jungle to maneuver, if you are unaware. Hence the reason we encourage persons to engage with an attorney at law. But in the gentleman's point, for $5,000, the candle might cost more than a funeral.
28:22Yes, but I don't know if the gentleman has left his information off the air. I could try to address that situation with you off the air and provide some guidance as to what you can and can't do in relation to situations like that.
28:38Yes, certainly. I mean, you know, there's always complaints about the system and how things are dealt with. And of course, every circumstance or every case will be judged on its own merit.
28:50Indeed.
28:51So we can't be presumptuous and assume that every case is the same. Yes?
28:55Correct. Very, very much so.
28:57So definitely, Colary, again, thank you for your contribution. Of course, we're going to take a short break now and we'll be back after this. Stay with us.
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31:02Welcome back to Beyond the Tape. I'm your host, Marcus.
31:04And of course, it's Friday and I'm joined by Corporal Ramnanan from the Southern Division and the calls are coming in fast and furious.
31:12We have a call on the line. Good evening.
31:16Good evening, gentlemen.
31:17Right.
31:18So I understand what the officer said in terms of there would be officers that can accommodate a transaction.
31:29But when they go to certain stations, they say it's a personal transaction.
31:36Police officers cannot intervene, you know, in those type of transactions.
31:43So just for clarification, I hope the officer could shed some light on that.
31:52Because if I were to go to a police station and say I want to conduct business and sell this vehicle or buy this vehicle,
32:01the officers would say that it's a personal transaction and they cannot facilitate it.
32:10So I will listen to the officer. Thank you.
32:41What they do is provide you that environment, a safe environment or relatively safe environment for which you can now conduct your transaction.
32:54So perhaps it was not put across properly.
32:58And also, I would not be naive to say that you did not meet an officer who probably didn't understand.
33:04All right. But generally speaking, what that provision is for is not for the officers to witness the transaction per se,
33:12but just to allow that safe space by which, you know, could do your transaction in some sort of comfort.
33:21All right. I hope that you have clarified your question or query.
33:26I do believe we have another caller on the line.
33:30Good evening.
33:31Good evening.
33:32Good evening.
33:33Mr. Bassan, I have a suggestion.
33:35I would like for you to invite the mayor of Port of Spain on this program.
33:41It may sound trivial or it may sound not as important.
33:46However, when you look at Port of Spain, right?
33:49I'm sorry, I'm just tuning in, right?
33:51I didn't know what was happening before.
33:52When you look at Port of Spain, you cannot walk the city of Port of Spain properly at all.
33:59Charlotte Street, Independence Square, all these promenades, all this bending and chaos on the pavement.
34:05Frederick Street is becoming the same with Henry Street.
34:08So I would like you, sir, to please invite the mayor of Port of Spain for him to enlighten us on the plans they have, please.
34:17Because it is a massacre waiting to happen in Port of Spain yet.
34:23Trust me.
34:24Thank you very much.
34:25Wonderful program.
34:27Thanks a lot, Cole.
34:28Obviously, we will take your suggestions into consideration.
34:32And we were talking about, before the show, I just in terms of enlightening, of course, a colleague of mine asked a question about the decriminalization of marijuana.
34:49And of course, it's not legal, but it is written in the law that you're not supposed to be smoking in public places.
34:56And they wanted clarity on that.
34:58I don't think that the public really understands what the law says.
35:02Yes.
35:03So with respect to that, that has been a debate that has been ongoing ever since the decriminalization of specified amounts.
35:15What has remained consistent on the law books of the Amendment to the Dangerous Drug Act is that smoking cannabis in a public place, where the public place is also defined, remains an offense.
35:28It is, however, not an arrestable offense.
35:32It is an offense that is punishable by the issuance of a fixed penalty notice or in local parlance, a ticket.
35:41Those tickets are being distributed.
35:43There are some teething issues that are being worked out with respect to the payments of the fines and so on.
35:50However, they will be coming on board.
35:52And persons who are of the mistaken belief that it is fine to smoke cannabis in public.
35:59Well, let me assure you, it is not.
36:02It is still against the law and it remains on the law books as such.
36:07We have another call on the line.
36:09Caller, good evening.
36:12Are you hearing me?
36:13Yes, caller, we are hearing you. Go ahead.
36:15Yes, sir.
36:16A blessing good evening to the two young gentlemen.
36:18Afternoon, sir.
36:19I want to make a very serious statement.
36:23With respect to the possession of a car, that ought not to be done by the police station.
36:29Because even if you do it at the police station, you still have to go to the police office to do the fine.
36:35So, officer, could you discourage people from coming to the station to do car transactions?
36:41The car transactions, I have no problem with that.
36:45Thank you, caller.
36:47Yes, sir, I understand the point that the caller is making.
36:50Ultimately, all the follow-up processes involving the transfer of a vehicle must be done at the licensing office.
37:00As such, it may make more sense to have a transaction of that nature done in close proximity or within the limits of the licensing office.
37:10I wouldn't want to speak for them.
37:12However, I take the caller's point and I agree to an extent that as far as practicable, given the follow-up processes that has to be done, that should be a consideration when making a transaction of that nature.
37:26Right.
37:27We have another call on the line.
37:28Caller, good evening.
37:29Yes, thanks again.
37:30There is a wrong that I would like to see put right, to make it right.
37:36Here we have people going to court and they have to get judgement from the court where the perpetrator is supposed to pay you extra money.
37:47They are not allowed to lose their case, like car salespeople.
37:50They are not allowed to lose their case.
37:52They have all their money in relative accounts.
37:55They have nothing.
37:56So, when it is your choice, give them the defective allowances to get the money.
38:04The perpetrators have nothing to show and they just walk away.
38:10People are just suffering in this country to get their money.
38:14But I think the judiciary, the parliament, if it has to do something, it can't be make a deal.
38:20How about that?
38:23Another caller?
38:24Yes.
38:25That is another civil court issue I believe he was referring to.
38:30Caller and Trinidad and Tobago citizens.
38:35There are processes, legal processes, that can take place during a matter, during a trial, during an action for monies due and when, as the case might be, breach of contract.
38:49Where you have grounds to believe that the person who might be the subject of it may want to dissipate some of the properties that would be in his name,
38:59there are legal processes that your legal counsel, your attorney at law, can engage the court with to prevent that from happening.
39:08Now, we don't have much time here today and also this is not meant to be a crash course in law.
39:15But there are processes that you can undertake by giving instructions to your attorney to prevent that loss that the caller would have referenced.
39:23A very true state of affairs I might add, caller, and thank you for bringing that up because I'm sure there are many persons who would have a similar experience
39:32and unaware as to what are the options in relation to that.
39:36I encourage you, speak to your attorneys and get that information to them that you have that they might be looking to get rid of property
39:45so as to not realize the award given by the court so that the necessary legal steps could be taken in respect to that.
39:52As we head to the break, of course, I want to remind you of the numbers to call 623-1711, extensions 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1997.
40:05We're going to take a short break and we'll be back. Stay with us.
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42:08Welcome back to Beyond the Tape
42:12I'm your host Mark Wesan of course joined today by
42:14Kopar Ramnanan from the Southern Division
42:17Talking about a number of legal issues that have been raised by callers
42:22Of course we have another caller on the line
42:24Good afternoon Mark, good afternoon to the law enforcement officer. Mark, I have two quick points I want to make.
42:31A few months ago here at Harlan, show me a man that he self-arrested. I testify the man like I was seen you on the TV now Mark.
42:38Caller, I just want to...
42:40Caller, hold on, I...
42:42Caller, just don't call any names when you're talking about the matter. Go ahead.
42:49So sorry, I apologize for that. But I saw it on our next program.
42:52Three times he was intimidated and holding a man for armed robbery.
42:57And the man talks in 25 days.
42:59And the next point I want to make...
43:01The next point I want to make, sir, is with this bail thing.
43:05How serious they are with this bail thing.
43:07Why people getting bail so easy?
43:09And where they're having the tickets and stuff.
43:12Now I believe the tickets, I have no problem with it.
43:14But a lot of people get tickets for wearing no mask during COVID.
43:18Probably not this weekend.
43:20Probably next week, Mark.
43:22If I could get the percentage of the amount of people that actually pay these tickets.
43:27Because a lot of tickets will be sued.
43:29And apparently less than 25% of the people pay.
43:32Can I get some accurate information on that?
43:34Please, my brother, enjoy your evening.
43:36I always enjoy your show.
43:37And I'm sorry I'm not calling you just money.
43:39Thank you so much, caller.
43:40I appreciate it.
43:42Right, so with respect to bail.
43:44There's a common misconception that the police grants persons bail.
43:48We do in very limited circumstances.
43:51We can't grant station bail for strictly summary offenses.
43:56With respect to matters that go before the court,
43:59unfortunately, we can object to bail.
44:03And we have to lay a foundation for the basis of our objection.
44:08And this is found under the Bail Act and the recent Bail Amendment Act.
44:11Bail can now be accessed in three places.
44:15Before the magistrate, before a master, or before a judge in chambers.
44:22And whilst we may want to seek to keep persons inside for as long as possible,
44:31we have to also consider the flip side.
44:34And without speaking for the judiciary,
44:38I speak as a prosecutor that I am fully aware and cognizant of the factors
44:43that a judicial officer would take into consideration
44:47when making a decision on the granting or not of bail.
44:52We have to take this in the backdrop of the recent case
44:55where bail can now be granted for murder, the ultimate crime.
45:00Therefore, whilst the police has their duty to investigate crime,
45:06bring perpetrators before the court,
45:08a person is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty.
45:14And one of the rationales for the judicial officer to carefully consider
45:20whether or not they want to keep this person incarcerated
45:23for a prolonged period of time is that on the flip side,
45:27should that person be exonerated, how do they get their lives back?
45:33All right. Thanks for that interesting insight.
45:36We have another call on the line. Caller, good evening.
45:40Good evening.
45:41Good evening, sir. Go ahead.
45:44As the earlier caller alluded to, I'm a police officer
45:49that advises this person not to do car transactions at a station
45:54that is subordinated to the department.
45:56But from my thinking, the problem is that the robberies that take place
46:01is people joining at that place, not having a car to sell in the first place.
46:05So that is where the robbery takes place.
46:08To me, it makes sense to go to the station, verify the person has a car,
46:13once you've cleared that up, then you can go to the licensing centre
46:16and finish the transaction.
46:21Thanks, caller.
46:22That's my contribution.
46:24Thank you very much. And the caller has a point.
46:26The thing about it, Mark, we as people need to look at things circumspectly.
46:34And I have seen instances where schemes have been set up to appear so legitimate
46:42that just recently I would have been aware of reports of persons
46:47depositing monies into a bank account and then being fleeced of that money.
46:54Now, there are processes involved in getting the information and pursuing.
46:57We can pursue. We will pursue.
46:59However, it is a lengthy process and we get it done eventually.
47:03But the thing is, criminals or would-be criminals have become versatile in their craft.
47:09They try to change the way they operate.
47:13We as law enforcement and we as citizens have to try to up the game
47:18to make it more difficult for them.
47:21One caller earlier would have spoke about Trinidadians like to more deal.
47:25I agree with him wholeheartedly.
47:27Stay away from those deals.
47:29Stay away from it.
47:31If you can't afford the new brand stuff, hold some strain.
47:35You will get it eventually.
47:37Right. We have another caller on the line.
47:39Caller, good evening.
47:42Hello, good evening.
47:43Good evening, sir.
47:45Yes, good evening to Mr. Bassam and Corporal Ramanan.
47:51Good evening, sir.
47:52Corporal Ramanan has been wearing many hats when dealing with the people,
48:00close, working close with the people in Princeton and in the Southern District.
48:06Question to you, sir, right, the warrants that are being given,
48:12why is it that we have a total delay in the warrants that is being placed at this point in time?
48:18Is there a recent law that was passed or that was amended
48:23or some type of procedure that our officers are taking so long to get warrants?
48:30Yes, thank you.
48:32The issue of the warrants, in fact, I would generalize it.
48:36Processes of the court, that includes summons.
48:39They both fall under the same remit.
48:42The issue that we sometimes face is that the practice directions
48:48would have provided for no electronic versions of these documents.
48:54Gone are the days where you go to the court and you pick up a physical piece of paper
48:58that says warrant stamped and signed.
49:00Now it is sent via email.
49:02It requires the use of technology.
49:06And while it's not bashing the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service,
49:10oftentimes technology tends to fluctuate in its reliability.
49:15It unfortunately results in warrants sometimes being lost in terms of
49:21it's on the system there, but it just didn't reach our system here.
49:26And when that occurs, unfortunate result is a disservice to the people.
49:34It is something that the hierarchy of the TDPS is aware of.
49:38The IT unit, I'm aware just this week, were involved in some technical works
49:44in relation to our internal system.
49:46And I could only hope that we get some relief for that in the very near future
49:51so as to be able to properly service the persons who are required
49:56or who require the execution of and service of these processes of the court.
50:02Alright, I think we have another caller on the line.
50:05Caller, good evening.
50:07Hi, good afternoon. Good evening, Joseph.
50:10Good evening.
50:11I wanted to ask a question concerning whether or not police officers,
50:18I'm not saying police officers, all police officers are required to sign
50:24a code of conduct in the execution of their duties.
50:31And whether or not, if they do sign a code of conduct,
50:36whether or not it's part of a declaration that its officers are intimately involved,
50:44it should be clear that to the Commissioner of Police.
50:53Thanks a lot, caller.
50:55Yes, so I understand what the caller is asking.
51:00Just for edification of the public, the police officers are required
51:04to do several things before they can be called police officers,
51:07which includes the taking of an oath.
51:09It's an oath of secrecy and it binds the conscience, it binds the individual
51:15and they are required to function in a particular manner.
51:20We are also guided by the laws of Trinidad and Tobago, ultimately.
51:25We are guided by case law, we are guided by standing orders,
51:29departmental orders and notices that may come from time to time.
51:34So the question would rise as to whether we deviate from those ideals,
51:40whether we should be held accountable, and I am saying yes.
51:43When there's deviation from what is expected of you as a police officer,
51:47you are held to a higher standard.
51:50And we ought to be held to a higher standard.
51:53And when we circumvent the law, then we should face it head on
52:00as any other person. Thank you.
52:03Thanks a lot, Corporal Ramnanan.
52:05We're going to take a short break and we'll be back. Stay with us.
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54:07Welcome back to Beyond the Tape.
54:09I'm your host, Mark Wilson, of course, joined today by
54:11Corporal Ramnanan from the Southern Division.
54:14We have a call on the line. Good evening.
54:17Yes, good evening.
54:18I just have a quick question and I'd like to give him a name too.
54:21But when the corporal gets some time, I've got two minutes,
54:25could you tell me what is the real work of a belief in the court now?
54:29Because the belief can't give the same answer to people.
54:32So I want to just ask him about it.
54:34What is the true work of the belief, not getting the same answer to people?
54:37What is the difficulty in that?
54:39But I'd like to give my name also.
54:41Caller, my producer will take your name off here.
54:46Yes. So the real function of the beliefs.
54:50Beliefs have a range of functions.
54:54I have not known their function to be one of serving someone.
54:58The service of someone is done by police,
55:01whether it be for criminal matters, whether it be for civil matters,
55:06whether it be for family related matters.
55:09We have to serve these someone.
55:10The beliefs are guided by the Beliefs Act
55:12and they have a range of functions that they carry out.
55:15There are different types of beliefs.
55:17Public beliefs, private beliefs.
55:19And they have different functions.
55:21So it's imprudent at this stage to get into the full,
55:25what those functions are.
55:27But the service of someone falls within the remit of the TTPS.
55:30All right. Wonderful.
55:32So we were just talking just briefly,
55:35we just want to touch on that issue of extortion, of course,
55:39and Corporal Ramana has some advice for us.
55:42Yes.
55:43With regards to extortion, I'm thinking that Trinidad and Tobago,
55:46you are aware that the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service
55:50have created a mandate under the leadership of ACP,
55:56Mr. Richard Smith, for the extortion unit.
55:59That's what it's ostensibly called.
56:01The purpose of this unit is to specifically treat with reports of extortion
56:08or possibilities of reports of extortion coming to their attention.
56:12Now, something I want to point out,
56:15having conversed with Mr. Smith just prior to coming on,
56:18at present, on social media and other forms of media,
56:24there might be hundreds of instances of extortion attempts
56:29or schemes taking place.
56:32However, at present, there are 29 actual reports being made.
56:38That's a pretty low number.
56:40A very low number.
56:43I haven't spoken to Mr. Smith.
56:46I wish to share his concerns.
56:48First of all, the hotline number for the unit is 797-3150.
56:55That's 797-3150.
57:00Trinidad and Tobago, if you become aware of
57:04or are in a position where you believe
57:08an attempt to extort your hard-earned monies is being made against you,
57:15the police are willing to act,
57:18but we cannot act on guesswork.
57:21We act on a report being made.
57:23If you are concerned about the veracity of the officers
57:27you might report to your station,
57:29I would have just given you a number,
57:31which is a direct line to the extortion unit headed by Mr. Smith,
57:35and they are willing to take the information
57:38and they will run with that report
57:40and they will bring some sort of closure.
57:43As recently there was a successful arrest
57:45on Mr. Smith and Sergeant Bacchus
57:48where they would have arrested a would-be extortionist.
57:51So it is not to say that it cannot be done,
57:54but we need the information, as much information as possible,
57:57so that we can engage our officers to do the necessary.
58:04There was a lady I spoke with yesterday
58:07who is willing to come forward,
58:09but she says she has to speak with her husband, of course.
58:12So I'm hopeful that after hearing and listening on this program
58:16you're going to be changing your mind and saying,
58:18you know what, I really need to speak with these officers.
58:22Your information, of course, they assure you, is confidential.
58:26So, repeat tonight at 11.30.
58:30TV6 News is up next.
58:32No repeat tomorrow.
58:33Have a great weekend, and we'll see you on Monday.
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