00:00The offence of extortion, we have seen it rearing its head throughout the country, and
00:04we have been proactive in the Princeton area by ensuring that the business people are aware
00:12of the offence that is demanding money by menace and where they can reach out and who
00:18they can reach out to.
00:20Acting ASP Bandon of the Southern Division says they recognise there is a problem of
00:26trust which exists, and walkabouts and meet and greet opportunities like these they hope
00:32can reassure business people that the police can help provide relief.
00:37He says in Princestown, reports of extortion are not like what is seen in the Central Division,
00:43but they recognise that could also mean that people are afraid to report cases.
00:48I would not say it does not happen, but we have not had any major reports or anything
00:54like that coming forward for us to investigate.
00:57So that is why the proactive measure is here, to give them that comfort that when they do
01:02make a report it is dealt with in confidentiality, because I believe trust may be one of the
01:07issues.
01:08Acting ASP Bandon says it was a result of people trusting the anti-extortion unit led
01:14by ACP Smith and working with the police that a man was recently charged with 22 offences,
01:21nine of which were for extortion.
01:24On Thursday, Southern Division officers walked through Princestown alongside a community
01:29group, the Princestown Police Station Council, putting up signs with information and numbers
01:36people can contact with concerns of extortion.
01:39We put up posters in all business places so it will be a deterrent that each and every
01:45person who comes in, they would know that the business people in Princestown is associated
01:50with the Princestown Police Station, with the Princestown Police Station Council have
01:54been not tolerated.
01:55Cindy Raghuban Tika Singh, TV6 News.
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