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09:42So those were some of the headlines over the last 24 hours.
09:47And of course, Acting Superintendent Janki, your division was pretty busy last night in terms of reports of robberies and so on.
09:56We wanted to take a look first at this particular video clip where there was a reported robbery along Abercrombie Street of a clothes store.
10:08So we see two gentlemen approaching the business under the pretext, of course, allegedly of wanting to purchase clothing at the store.
10:24So they stood there trying to get in, of course, pressing the bell and so on, as you would see there.
10:33And they are motioning, of course, to the owner or the employee in the store as to they want to get in.
10:42And you can see there they are allowed into the store.
10:46Yes, Mark. Now, the thing is, location of a business sometimes make it a soft target.
10:54As well as you have to look at the traffic movement, either pedestrian or vehicular traffic at the time.
11:00This location is well known to be a place that is not well trafficked day or night.
11:07And what has happened is that you find that persons will come and they will pose as bona fide customers.
11:13And the thing is, as long as they are given access, that is when they come and they take full control of the person's business and commit their heinous acts.
11:24Well, Abel, you see there that the two guys came in first and at least six others came.
11:30They were almost timing the door so that they came up the stairway and the door was probably open still.
11:37And they were able to get in. Of course, they covered their heads with jerseys and so on.
11:41Cleaning out the store of clothing, jeans, T-shirts and even shoes I'm seeing there in the foreground there.
11:52You see there walking in.
11:54And the thing is, I've also observed that in one of the business places, he had certain measures in place that probably would have afforded him that extra level of protection.
12:05He had to press a button, a buzzer to allow persons to enter his premises.
12:11However, what he was unaware of was the fact that there were other persons hiding lower down the staircase.
12:19And the nice thing about it is that we have clear views of the two persons who are at the door.
12:25So the identity is not hidden in any way whatsoever.
12:28And I believe that that is a great factor in solving this heinous crime.
12:33Certainly. And we want to urge business owners as we get into that festive period to be cognizant of your surroundings.
12:41Even change up your closing hours if you think that you feel unsafe in some way.
12:46Fully agree.
12:47And as you said before, this is an area at Upper Abercrombie Street where there's very little pedestrian traffic, especially at that hour of the night.
12:56True. Yes.
12:59All right. So moving on, that incident happened about just after 8 o'clock last night.
13:07And about 10.30 last night, the Trotters restaurant and bar here seen on the images here,
13:16there were four men armed with firearms apparently entered the establishment as they were closing up and robbed eight persons of cash, cell phones, jewelry and other valuables.
13:33And, you know, the owner who spoke with us earlier on, Mr. Peter George, said that it was certainly a crime of opportunity.
13:42Yes.
13:43Because you're seeing that they're looking at, they're monitoring the times of businesses closing or when there's a little bit of people there as they're ready to close because they see that as an opportune time to strike.
13:56Less resistance.
13:58Exactly. And, you know, it was just unfortunate that, you know, that, you know, these people that were inside that establishment had to go through something like this.
14:10The experience of a crime, actual experience in a crime is very traumatizing.
14:16And for a law abiding citizen to be accosted at gunpoint, it creates a lot of trauma.
14:23So that person is not normal again for the rest of their life because that trauma affects them wherever they are.
14:29And the thing is, yes, we may say that we could take protective measures, adopt certain measures that may make us high targets.
14:37But as you rightly said, these criminal elements, they look at vulnerable times, vulnerable places, vulnerable opportunities for them to strike.
14:49They are real women and they make use of every opportunity that they are given.
14:54So we always have to be aware of our surroundings and make ourselves a target.
15:01Yes. So we're going to continue this discussion is when we get back.
15:05We have to take a break. We'll be back. Stay with us.
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18:06Welcome back to Beyond the Tape. I'm your host, Mark Bassant, joined today by acting superintendent Janki from the Port of Spain division.
18:20And we are continuing our discussion, of course, about this Trotters robbery that occurred last night where eight people were robbed of cell phones and other valuables by four armed men that entered the premises just before they were closing.
18:35And the owner who spoke to us earlier on described this entire crime as one of opportunity.
18:44Let's take a listen to what Mr. Peter George had to say to journalist Alexander Brousseau.
18:48It really was not a major event. It really was. It really was opportunism.
18:53The place was the place was closed, closing.
18:57There were seven or eight customers inside when they saw an opportunity.
19:03The police responded amazingly, amazingly quickly.
19:08They apprehended one of the one of the poops with the use of our camera system for confirmation.
19:16But, yeah, I mean, some of the customers were shaken up, but nobody nobody was really, really traumatized because, like I said, it seems to have been, you know, just a kind of opportunism.
19:29There were, like I said, a couple of cars in the parking lot.
19:33Transportation vehicles were arriving.
19:35So we were winding down and they saw the opportunity.
19:39So it's unfortunate. It's unfortunate.
19:43People had some electronic devices and stuff taken.
19:46We have told all the customers who were there, we're going to replace that.
19:49I can't replace their wallets and their driver's licenses and their personal stuff.
19:52That's unfortunate.
19:55So, you know, we will continue to be vigilant, as we've always been.
19:59That's the first incident that we have had in 23 years.
20:02So. So, yeah, but I really I really have to commend the response time of the police, the professionalism of the police.
20:13And the fact that they, you know, on their own, on their own instincts, they immediately went in the direction that the customer told them that the perpetrators went and they found one of them.
20:27Yeah, so and that is one of the things he pointed out, because I had a further discussion with Mr. George following that interview, and he did talk about Sergeant Batson, who has been on our program.
20:38He and his team responded quite quickly and they actually had a suspect within apprehended a suspect in within seven minutes of that robbery.
20:47And we really want to congratulate the police for that quick work, whether it be Mr. George said there was no selection or or no favoritism.
20:56They came because they made the call and what they were also able to do because the victims are able to point out exactly what some of them are wearing.
21:06They were able to spot one of those individuals near the Queen's Park Savannah wearing the same clothing.
21:12And that's why they were able to quickly snapping up.
21:15And I'm glad that you mentioned that.
21:17Victims, persons who are actual victims of crimes.
21:21I heard you when I said that it wasn't much of a big deal.
21:26It wasn't too much of a big event.
21:28But the thing is, crime is a big, big event.
21:31You have eight persons who were present.
21:33Eight persons were traumatized because items, personal items were taken from them at gunpoint.
21:40Thankfully, because they were observant and they were able to give a proper description of the assailants.
21:47The police responded quickly, which is another plus for us.
21:51We're able to take those descriptions.
21:54And actually, while it's on patrol for that report, we're able to apprehend one of the suspect in close proximity.
22:01And it is also commendable that the owner took it upon himself, saying that persons were relieved of their personal items.
22:14Persons were traumatized and their personal items were taken.
22:17He took it upon himself, which is commendable, to replace it at their own expense.
22:21And the thing is, in all my years of policing, I've never heard such an event taking place, which is really commendable.
22:28Yes, certainly.
22:29And Mr. George said, you know what, they will try their best to obviously give back by the new cell phones and whatever else they have lost.
22:36Of course, their wallets, license and credit cards will have to obviously go to the bank or go to the licensing division to get those things back.
22:46But in terms of possessions like watches and cell phones and so on, he has gladly said that he will try to reimburse them in some form or fashion.
22:55As you said, it's not something everybody could do, but I think it's the best or the most that Mr. George decided to do to ensure that these people at least get back some of their items.
23:07And that is quite applaudable.
23:09Yes, certainly.
23:11So, remember, I think it was on Wednesday, we had shown you a video involving a road traffic accident on your screen in the Point Forty, Egypt area, where two persons were struck and injured by a vehicle that lost control.
23:33And the persons were crossing the street and the road was wet.
23:39You see the vehicle there, swerving uncontrollably, of course, and then hitting both individuals.
23:45Now, unfortunately, one of those individuals passed yesterday.
23:50Her name was Pamela Edumudia.
23:54I'm sorry if I mispronounced the last name.
23:57She was a preschool principal that died, while the other person that sustained injuries was Esther Gilbert.
24:05We certainly want to send our sympathies to the family of that principal.
24:11And, of course, we are hoping for the speedy recovery of Ms. Gilbert.
24:15And I know that we have spoken time and time again about around this time, and it's not even a high rate, it's a major rate.
24:23But to proceed with caution, there are certain speed limits they must observe.
24:26Yes, of course.
24:27In built-up areas, the speed limit is 30 kilometers per hour.
24:30In rural areas, the speed limit is 50 kilometers per hour.
24:36The highway is 100.
24:38In certain places, it is 65 kilometers per hour.
24:42I am sure that this area where this accident occurred could have been, if not 35, 50 kilometers per hour.
24:49Now, the thing is, when the road is wet, that poses additional risk for road users, both pedestrians as well as drivers.
24:58And drivers should be competent and should be able to recognize the additional risk.
25:04And so mitigate those risks.
25:06A way that you can mitigate those risks, although the speed limit might be 50, is that you lessen your speed on a wet road,
25:12knowing fully well that sometime you might apply brake and you will not be able to stop your vehicle successfully at that point in which it needed to be stopped.
25:24And of course, if you have defective tires, even worse.
25:26That is another thing.
25:27Or if your brakes are not working properly.
25:29Yes.
25:30So all those things are factors that obviously will cause your car to skid or you can lose control if you get up to a certain speed.
25:38Yes.
25:39In certain cases, if you are not maintaining the vehicle properly, yes?
25:42Definitely.
25:43That will compound the risk involved.
25:45Now, the other thing that I have observed is, yes, it was a wide stretch of road and there were 30 persons in the road.
25:52So we have to take into consideration, yes, people do jaywalk.
25:56I am not saying or making that assumption that they were jaywalking because I observed that a vehicle tried to brake a certain distance away.
26:05Yes.
26:06And you actually see the vehicle picking up a skid and actually the back...
26:12Fish tailing.
26:13Fish tailing and coming to the front of that vehicle and coming into contact with those boat persons.
26:18So I guess even in that instance, speed was a huge factor that contributed in that accident.
26:25And had that driver exercised caution, had that driver lessened his speed owing to the fact that the road was wet,
26:34he probably would have been able to save those two persons' lives.
26:36And again, condolences goes out to the family for the loss of their loved one.
26:43And we hope that the other accident victim recovers speedily.
26:47Certainly.
26:48And we're going to take a short break and we'll be back.
26:50So stay with us.
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29:28Welcome back to Beyond the Tape, I'm your host Marc Besant.
29:31I'm joined today by Acting Superintendent Janki from the Port of Spain Division.
29:36And I do believe, Acting Superintendent, that you have some breaking news for us.
29:43Yes, Marc.
29:45Just before I came into the studio,
29:48there was a review of our license committee decision
29:52that was in granting of our license for an event
29:55to be held on Sunday, sorry, the 10th of November, 2024 at the Bitam Gardens.
30:02On yesterday's date, the liquor licensing committee
30:05granted our license for an event to be held on Sunday,
30:10the 10th of November, 2024 at the Bitam Gardens.
30:14The liquor licensing committee granted a license for the holding and hosting of that event,
30:21despite the police's objections.
30:24At the end of that hearing, the police lodged a formal notice of appeal,
30:29and that appeal was heard this afternoon.
30:32So just before I came into the studio, I was part of that hearing.
30:35And I got the great news, well, in fact, I got news just now
30:40that the learned court came to a decision,
30:45and the granting of that license was turned over.
30:49So it has now been refused on review by the magistrate.
30:53And I know that within this whole climate in your division,
30:59I know that a similar event was planned in East Port of Spain about a week or two ago,
31:06and the same result, they refused to grant a license
31:11because of the ongoing tensions in this area with gang warfare and so on,
31:15just to mitigate circumstances where things can get really out of hand.
31:21That is a fact, Mark.
31:23The shooters, East Port of Spain right now, we have a lot of gang-related activities taking place.
31:28We have a lot of shootings.
31:30These shootings involve the use of high-powered rifles,
31:35which carries 5.56 ammunition as well as 7.62 ammunition.
31:41This ammunition is capable of boring even bulletproof vests,
31:47boring through cars, causing multiple casualties, deaths and injuries, and damage to property.
31:55It is a real fact.
31:57And that is why we as the police, we have to be very careful
32:01as to where we are granting licenses for events to take place.
32:05And because of the concern and because of the reality of the gang warfare in East Port of Spain at the time,
32:11we will be objecting to any such event taking place in and around East Port of Spain.
32:17And of course, you know, also you want to ensure that you all remain neutral in your duties, of course,
32:24ensuring that there is preference one over the other, correct?
32:28There is no preference one over the other.
32:30And the thing is, in making our decision, our paramount concern is the safety and security of persons
32:37and in national security interests.
32:40The interest is to save and prevent lives or brain loss, property being damaged,
32:46and injuries occurring to innocent persons.
32:49And as a bridge to that, I just want to walk us through some of the plans
32:55that will be going into the Christmas season, of course, for the Port of Spain division.
33:00And of course, the Dong Tong area, what police, you know, shoppers are going to be coming out,
33:07business persons up there, doors open a little bit later and so on,
33:11because they're trying to get business from those who are working and probably finish after work
33:15and will be coming out maybe later this month.
33:18For the next, let's say, six weeks, it's going to be thriving, especially in cities like Port of Spain.
33:24You know, you have San Fernando, Arima, but just give us a walkthrough for your area.
33:28So what are some of the plans?
33:30Yes, thank you. Now, East Port of Spain, in fact, downtown Port of Spain,
33:33the area from, let me say, Frederick Street all the way to Charlotte Street,
33:37that is the central business hub of Port of Spain.
33:40That is where you get all your textiles, all your goods, all your varieties, and all that.
33:45So what would happen is that over the past few years,
33:48we have noticed that there's a marked increase in the pedestrian traffic in and around the area.
33:55But we have not waited last minute.
33:57You'll find that for the past two months, we have implemented additional foot patrols in and around that area.
34:03And added to the foot patrols, we also have a vehicular, which we call mobile patrols.
34:08Now, from this period going forward, you will see a marked increase in the numbers of police officers
34:14in uniform as well as plainclothes in and around Port of Spain and the environment.
34:19Now, the thing is, yes, downtown Port of Spain, this is the hub of business activities.
34:24However, we do not want to leave our division unsupervised and unpoliced.
34:29So although there will be a concentration of foot patrols in this downtown commercial business area,
34:36you'll find that we will also have patrols patrolling, mobile patrols patrolling throughout the district
34:41to ensure that persons in their homes, in their business spaces, in the community, schools, wherever that you are safe.
34:48All right. You have a call on the line. Caller, good evening.
34:52Good afternoon, Mark, and good afternoon to you, the gentleman, the officer.
34:56Good afternoon, sir.
34:57Question. I saw a video this morning with an alleged robbery in St. James Pharmacy opposite Royal Castle.
35:05Was the suspect then captured?
35:09Yes, sir. From my information, one person was arrested.
35:12No, that was for the robbery last night.
35:15That was something else.
35:16Yeah.
35:17In St. James.
35:18Yes, the St. James Pharmacy. If I may, we showed that footage, I believe, yesterday.
35:25And up to yesterday, they did not apprehend anybody just yet, having a discussion with the senior supervisor of that area.
35:33They're hopeful that those people will be brought to justice pretty soon.
35:38They have an idea from the footage who these people might be.
35:42Who these suspects are?
35:43Yes, sir.
35:44Well, I just find it a bit strange. That's why I asked if they were captured.
35:47Because I mean, seeing the video, the direction that the guys had run, it seemed like they were running towards the direction of the police station.
35:55So I was expecting at least, I mean, a jeep came out with two officers.
36:00They responded and I was expecting to hear that he had been captured.
36:05But now that he ended up being in a hole, it's a bit strange.
36:08Anyway, welcome to the program. Thank you.
36:10All right. So you see, and that is what I raised with Mr. Pitt yesterday.
36:19150 meters away was the police station.
36:21And they ran in that westerly direction along the western main road.
36:25But I don't know if they detoured the amphitheater there and went back through the back.
36:30There's a back street there they can go through.
36:32I don't know. But unfortunately, they weren't held up to this point in time.
36:36Again, we are saying that if you have any information which may assist us in solving this case,
36:42which may lead to the arrest of these perpetrators, please call 800-TIPS, call 555, call the nearest police station.
36:50Speak to a police officer that you may know and who you trust to provide that information.
36:55We will put it to good use.
36:57Now, just before we go to the break, you were talking about some of the measures for Port of Spain Division.
37:03I suppose that also includes members of the Defence Force will also be tagging along as a joint patrol with police officers in these areas.
37:12Yes, sir. Yes. Yes, Mark. In fact, joint patrols are continuing.
37:17It is happening right now and it will continue and probably intensify coming up to the end of the year going forward.
37:24And what are some of the concerns that have been raised by the business owners going into this Christmas season?
37:30I'm sure you would have met and spoken to them already.
37:33Yes. This week, we had a meeting with DOMA as well as the Chinese Business Association.
37:40Two weeks ago, we had another meeting with DOMA.
37:44And the feedback is that, yes, that East Port of Spain area, that is the hub of activities where persons will commit crimes.
37:55Last thing from the persons, where persons walking on the street, persons will grab their chain, their jewelry, their bag and run off in an easterly direction towards probably Nelson Street Plannings towards Piccadilly Street.
38:08So what has happened is that we have formed a patrol unit.
38:12We have intensified the patrol and we are also increasing the number of patrols and police officers in and around that area.
38:20So what you will see is that a marked number of police officers will be present.
38:25We hope to be covering every corner, every alley, every street.
38:30All in the hopes that shoppers will have a sense of safety and security when they come to Port of Spain to do their shopping.
38:41Alright. So he has given the assurance that there will be a marked more visibility of officers going forward for the next couple of weeks.
38:50We are going to take a short break and we will be back. Stay with us.
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41:50Welcome back to Beyond the Tape. I'm your host Mark Bassant.
42:00And I'm joined today by Acting Superintendent Janki from the Port of Spain Division.
42:05We have a call on the line. Caller, good evening.
42:10Caller?
42:12Mark, I'm getting ready to get to the office now.
42:15Good evening.
42:18Caller, we're not hearing you properly.
42:36Unfortunately, the caller, you're breaking up, so maybe you might want to try back.
42:42The numbers are 6231711, extensions 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1997.
42:50So we were talking earlier on about some of the measures in the Port of Spain Division.
42:54Of course, one of the things that we also have to deal with is the homicides in the Port of Spain Division.
43:01And what has that been like in terms of numbers and in terms of all this gang-related activity taking place in this area?
43:10I am saddened to say that the Port of Spain has the highest murder rate for the whole of Trinidad and Tobago for the year.
43:17Last year, at this time, we were just 33.
43:21Today, it stands at 83.
43:24And this is horrible news.
43:26Now the thing is that out of those 83 murders, 76 of them are gang-related.
43:34And it is related to the warfare going on between the warring gangs that live and abide and reside right within Port of Spain.
43:44It is appalling that these youths who are the gang members, they have no respect for their own lives or the lives of other persons.
43:52And they just go about shooting wildly without any care in the world as to whomsoever their bullet hits and strikes.
44:01A lot of innocent persons have died.
44:04A lot of other gang members have died on either side.
44:08And it is really horrendous.
44:10And the thing is, looking at how this thing has escalated, the gangs, they have absolutely no regard and no fear for the police.
44:19Just imagine the gang could come right behind the police station and fire shots with AR-15s right next to the police posts and shoot people with high-power rifles.
44:31No care in the world.
44:33And the thing is, I want to say publicly that we are trying our best to identify these gang members, to identify the activities that they are involved in.
44:45And we will be going after them.
44:49We are with a view of arresting them and charging them for the crimes, the heinous crimes that they have committed and they intend to continue to commit.
45:00We, as the police, we have to put a stop to this.
45:03And we have intelligence that would cause us to have the upper hand on them.
45:08So in the near future, you will see certain operations taking place.
45:12And we plan to utilize every part and every person in the police service to neutralize the threat that we have put us in our capital under right now.
45:23The threat of gang warfare.
45:25Thank you so much for that, Acting Superintendent Changki.
45:29We have a call on the line. Caller, good evening.
45:32Good evening, Mark.
45:35Good evening to the officer.
45:37Let me congratulate you because I know you're from the Eastern Division.
45:41Congratulations.
45:42Thank you, sir.
45:43I have a question to ask you.
45:45I take composition classes by the library during the week after 4.
45:53The session starts at 5.
45:56If one parks on the no-parking side of the street, on Abercrombie Street, after the hours of 4, is there a chance that they could be wrecked?
46:12Yes, sir.
46:13As long as you are breaching the traffic regulations, parking at a no-parking spot, you do stand the risk of your vehicle being wrecked as well as paying the fee to have your vehicle returned to you.
46:26So please abide by the laws of the land.
46:30Certainly. I know the wrecker is back out working in the Port of Spain area.
46:35We have another call on the line. Caller, good evening.
46:38Good evening, Mr. Superintendent, Mr. Officer.
46:41Good evening.
46:43We're looking at decades of people not being able to trust the police.
46:49Because as much as we know the criminals and what they do and what we need to do to get rid of them, we also need to be able to call the police and feel free.
47:02That nothing would happen to you.
47:05It would not be a problem in this area.
47:09I am speaking about 40 years ago when my friend asked a police officer for his ID.
47:16He got a gun box ready.
47:18Police said, and up to today he didn't see any ID.
47:22And this is something that has been going on for over 40 years.
47:26And the police attitude towards simple things like, when the body comes, so we the people, the taxpayers, we can see what is going on.
47:37People need to trust the police in order for the police to get the results that they are looking for.
47:43And that is not there.
47:45I am not saying to not rush in all the police officers.
47:48I know which have good police officers.
47:51But even the police, second division officers, the reunion for the police, even they will be trying to protect the officers from basic things like when your body comes.
48:04Where your body comes, when we the people, the city police is doing things correct.
48:09In return, we will give information, we will call them and say, hey, so and so is going on.
48:16I stopped calling after one day when I called and I said, X, Y, and Z.
48:21And the sergeant at the station told me, don't call here if I'm not here.
48:26That was the last time I called.
48:28So it's about trust, Mr. Bassan and Mr. Officer.
48:32I know you all are trying, but you all have to do it correct.
48:35The officers have to get the trust back in order for us to deal with the crime situation.
48:41And I fully agree with you, sir.
48:43I thank you for your comments.
48:45As a police officer, I understand that we the police cannot solve crime, prevent crimes, and protect the citizen by ourselves.
48:56We need the help of every single citizen.
48:59And I do understand your cry about the trust in police officers.
49:03Yes, the body cam is an issue.
49:06And we have directives from the Commission of Police that as long as police officers are out on patrol, they must wear their body cam and the body cam must be recorded.
49:16So that has been dealt with.
49:18So you will continue to see persons on patrol wearing their body cam.
49:22The issue of trust, we have certain telephone numbers that have been provided for persons who feel that their information will be leaked or they don't have confidence in sharing the information.
49:34And those phone numbers are 800-TIPS-555.
49:38So you can call those numbers and give the information to the police confidentially.
49:44Now, I'm sure that every single person knows a police officer personally.
49:48Some friends, some family member, somebody that they have went to school with, somebody that grew up in society with them.
49:56So there is always someone that somebody could talk to and share their information.
50:01And the thing is, we continue to encourage persons that if you see something, say something.
50:07Because crime is everybody's business.
50:10We all have a part to play in reducing crime and bringing perpetrators to justice.
50:16And I want to encourage you, caller.
50:18Yes, you say that you have information.
50:20Thank you for calling the sergeant and sharing with it, sharing that information with him.
50:25And hopefully, you may be able to call up on other officers in the same way.
50:29We also have the customer service policy, which spells out the way that we are to deal with members of the public as well as members within our own ranks and in the service.
50:40OK, so there are certain measures and policies that are being implemented to ensure that persons are treated fairly, that persons are treated with respect and the police conduct their business above board.
50:53So you have that assurance.
50:55All right. As you heard from Acting Superintendent Janki, crime is everyone's business.
51:00We're going to take a short break and we'll be back. Stay with us.
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52:03Do you know how vulnerable we are to climate change on small islands?
52:07Darling, what is this about now?
52:09Well, small changes can make a big impact.
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52:15Okay, I can do that.
52:17Keep the fridge closed and air dry your clothes instead of using the dryer.
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53:26Welcome back to Beyond the Tape.
53:49I'm your host Marc Bessant joined today by Acting Superintendent Janki from the Port of Spain Division
53:54and we want to quickly go to some of the events that the Port of Spain Community Oriented Policing Section was hosting.
54:01I think last week it was?
54:02Yes, yes it was.
54:03So, you want to give us an insight into some of those things?
54:06Yes, so the Community Oriented Policing Section in the Port of Spain Division led by Sergeant Thomas.
54:13We have a very vibrant cops section.
54:16They were involved in several walkabouts.
54:19They were involved in some community hamper drives.
54:23We even had a wellness week which dealt specifically with mental health.
54:27We also had a session with aerobics and fitness and health screening and a series of events
54:38which was geared towards the wellness of both members of the TTPS as well as members of the community.
54:45Now, we as police officers, all of us are community oriented police officers.
54:51We have a duty to communicate well with our community to bridge that gap of trust and togetherness between the community and the police.
54:59So, that is specifically what took place and it is an ongoing event where we visit schools,
55:05we have walkabouts, we meet and we greet the members of the community.
55:09They share their concerns and we as the police, we try our best to help meet some of their needs,
55:15some of their physical needs as well as help in certain areas.
55:20This was across Amsing, I saw some children there, a fire officer showing them how to use the hose and so on.
55:28Is it across Sydney or East Port of Spain?
55:32In fact, throughout the Port of Spain division.
55:34So, like what you saw there, there was a career day being held in the schools where police officers,
55:41members of the other services would go and meet the children and educate them.
55:46Yes, interact with them and so on.
55:48Of course, you said that you all had like the elderly, you would go and visit them and then you had aerobics and so on.
55:54So, it is simply an all-round kind of thing that you all were encouraging from wellness to health and so on.
56:01Of course. So, just as you have the gangs spreading mayhem and disaster and bloodshed,
56:07we concentrate on the persons and try to inculcate that level of togetherness,
56:13bring the love, share the peace and harmony among citizens and encourage them to do the right things.
56:20The interaction with children is very, very helpful because we know that the gangs try to reach them at a very tender age.
56:27So, if the police could reach them at that age and get their minds and the way that they think towards positivity
56:32and being peaceful and doing the right things, that alone will make a difference because they are our future generation.
56:39Certainly, and as you pointed out, recruitment starts at a very early age.
56:44Yes.
56:45So, if the police is able to make inroads together, of course, with other NGOs and other organisations that also partner with you guys and come on board.
56:54Yes.
56:55And we have the St. James Youth Police Club that assists with young people and other organisations, I should say, that are part and parcel of that journey.
57:05Certainly, then, it's heading in the direction of assisting these young persons in at-risk communities.
57:12Yes, it is all about collaboration. Everybody working together. Collaboration.
57:18Yes, certainly. And it's all about collaboration, as Acting Superintendent Njanke says.
57:24And on that note, it's Friday and we're going to be leaving you in a few seconds.
57:31Of course, remember, repeat tonight at 11.30. No Iran tomorrow.
57:35Wishing you the best weekend. Be safe out there.
57:39The TV6 News is up next. Stay with us.
58:01.
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