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00:30Beyond the Tape will be back after these messages.
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02:47Beyond the Tape
02:54Welcome to Beyond the Tape and welcome to all viewers across Trinidad and Tobago and of course across the globe.
03:00I'm Marc Bessant, your host.
03:02And we have a special guest today from the Sister Isle, ESP Duke John.
03:08You know, it's been relatively quiet over the last couple of months there after some hectic activity of crime, criminal activity there.
03:17Homicides were out of hand.
03:20And certainly ESP John and others have been making a remarkable difference there ever since they were transferred across there, I believe on October 24th.
03:33Other officers came. I was there since May.
03:35Right, you were there. Sorry, the other officers.
03:38I think it was Senior Superintendent Eli and ESP?
03:41ESP V. Subair.
03:43Subair, yes. Thanks for that correction.
03:45What has it been like, I mean, just in a nutshell so far?
03:49I mean, seeing that explosion of violence in the early part of the year into mid-year, I know it was rather worrying to you.
03:58And I know you probably have some statistics you would like to share with us, because we were seeing that that kind of gang activity we are accustomed seeing here in Trinidad seeped over there.
04:09Yes. What I can say is that the intensity was uncomfortable.
04:14And what we did was to hone in the forces, bring in the resources necessary, and to collaborate more with members of the public.
04:25Because we know that Tobago is a small island, 60,000 plus people.
04:29People would see something, and we would encourage more of that cooperation with members of the public.
04:34So we have been, over the last few months, been able to dampen things a lot.
04:39There must have been a violent reduction crime plan that you all would have been able to execute.
04:50And if you could, in essence, give us a general overview of that plan and how you all were able to go about it to stymie this type of violence that the Sister Isle has not been accustomed to seeing in quite a long time.
05:04What we looked at was the available evidence that we had coming out from the Kappa branch.
05:09And we know, one, that based on the statistics, we had certain chatter we need to arrive at, and we were pushing more intel, predictive policing.
05:22We also looked at our operational capacity, and we looked at how the information was coming and how it was being treated.
05:30Especially when members of the public took time to reach out to us and give us the information.
05:35The timeliness in executing those operations, we looked at as well.
05:40So based on the operational plan, we have a violent reduction plan.
05:44We also have an operational plan, all flowing under our strategic plan.
05:49And obviously, part of that plan would be the unison of various entities or police units working together.
05:58Correct.
05:59And how has that unison been like over the last two months?
06:03It's needed.
06:04Because with varying skill sets, we can marry and focus our resources.
06:10Because we can't be everywhere, Mark, you know this.
06:12But once we know where the crimes are taking place, what time, what we call the hot times, we focus the resources within that particular zone.
06:20And it has been working.
06:21Because we're working together with, first, we have the ITF, GB, we have the intel, gang units, and the military is a high supportive factor as well, plus the Coast Guard.
06:31And your counterpart, ACP Subiru, would have indicated to me in a brief conversation earlier on,
06:38one of the things that you were able to also do to stymie that upsurge in murders was targeting the main players and, of course, that whole nefarious activities of drug running on the island.
06:55Yes.
06:56So we targeted heavily priority offenders.
06:59Every station district under the station commanders were doing an excellent job.
07:03And I must take the time to say this.
07:05No success we can just boast about unless we commend the men and women tirelessly putting out in Tobago those police officers.
07:13As well as, as members of the public reach out, we are listening, and we will continue to listen and work with them.
07:21So when you look at, for example, the propelling factor of gang activity, once we know who, we can focus our resources to treat that.
07:32I mean, I have certainly seen, as I said before, a serious reduction in any kind of gun-related violence over the last two months because there was an explosion of gun-related violence and homicides in the first seven to eight months of the year.
07:49And I know a lot of Tobago Indians were not accustomed to seeing that kind of violence rates, ugly head in the sister island.
07:57And, of course, you know, by extension, it affected different sectors of the economy there.
08:02And people were saying, you know, it possibly would deter visitors from coming to Tobago.
08:09Tobago has always been a paradise, and we are not going to let go of that particular thing.
08:13At the end of the day, we do know there's a handful of people who are bent on committing crime.
08:19So once we can be more organized as a police body, as well as utilizing external entities to assist us, we're getting the job done.
08:30You understand?
08:31Now, I've been on the ground. I love being on the ground.
08:33And I do hear people say, officers, we need to see you.
08:37And with that particular listening capacity, we have put more resources on the ground.
08:42And I know one of the things that you all, you speak about visibility, but also the advent of town meetings.
08:49Yes.
08:50And the involvement of communities and getting to listen to some of what they have to see.
08:55Yes.
08:56And listening to their suggestions and opinions also is an integral part in helping the police function better there.
09:03Of course, the feedback is important, even though you're going to get some strong remarks coming at us.
09:09The feedback is important because we can look at our processes, reshape, revise, and then come better.
09:16I was at a town meeting, and a woman spoke to making a report and not getting the feedback from the officers, the investigator.
09:24And we had a chat with her, and we reassured her, listen, we're going to work on this.
09:30We have a customer service policy that guides us, and the officers must be in tune with the strategic plan.
09:36So we're working on it.
09:38All right.
09:39So some great stuff there.
09:40Of course, we're going to hear a lot more about the various ventures that the officers from the Tobago Police on the senior sprint and then the LE is doing.
09:50And we just wanted to bring you up to speed.
09:53As you recall, quite sadly, yesterday morning, MP for the Dabadee-Omera area, Lisa Morris-Julian, passed away along with her two children, Zion and Josiah, 25 and age six.
10:10And what we were able to learn today was that the autopsy revealed that all three died of smoke inhalation.
10:18We spoke with the acting chief fire officer.
10:23You know, colleagues today would have been paying their respects at the Rotunda in Parliament.
10:30We see some images here of some of our cabinet colleagues signing a condolence book.
10:36Paying their mark of respect, our housing minister, Camille Robinson-Regis, health minister, Terence D. Alsing, Mr. Nigel De Freitas, and others, including the prime minister, as well as the minister of national security, Mr. Foster Cummings and others, would have signed that book.
10:56You know, as they continue to, you know, this sad reality, it still has not sunk across Trinidad and Tobago.
11:06And speaking with the acting chief fire officer, Mr. Hutchinson, he said that the matter continues to be under investigation in terms of what may have caused that fire.
11:18And they're looking at every angle extensively, and they still don't want to be presumptuous as to what may have caused the fire.
11:26So they're being very meticulous in how they handle this investigation, as well as in tandem working together with the diligent police officers and the senior superintendent, Maynard Wilson, in the Northern Division.
11:42Correct.
11:43Let me extend condolences to the family of MP Lisa Morris-Julian.
11:48I, myself, having had an experience a few years ago in Mar-a-Lago where three children lost their lives, it is something that is very heavy.
12:00And we are giving that support to the family.
12:05We are there for them.
12:07As it relates to the investigation, it's ongoing.
12:10We do not want to speculate as to the cause.
12:12We are leaning heavily on the fire services to provide us with certain information that can propel the investigation forward.
12:19All right. Sweetly.
12:20We want to take a look now at our headlines.
12:43So those were some of the headlines within the last 24 hours.
12:59Certainly the death of MP Lisa Morris-Julian capturing the headlines on the Trinidad Express newspapers.
13:08A pouring of sympathy, condolences coming in from various sectors, the opposition leader and other recognized persons from across Trinidad and Tobago.
13:21She touched many lives and there were even these simple persons that turned up at that sad scene of the fire where they would have spoken about how she would have assisted them.
13:33She was always described as somebody who was dedicated and loyal and true to the purpose of men.
13:40So we're going to take a short break and we'll be back. Stay with us.
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16:22Welcome back to Beyond the Tape. I'm your host Marc Bessant, joined today by ASP Dirk, John of the Tobago Division.
16:29We're continuing our discussion about some of the activities that the Tobago officers would have been executing over the last two months under Senior Superintendent Eli, not Ellie, in the Tobago Division.
16:44Of course, concerns were raised very early in the year about the homicide rate in Tobago, which I think was close to 25 in late October.
16:55And I know that there's various programs that would have been launched to assist people who would have lost loved ones under those violent circumstances in a program called the Life After Loss Program.
17:11I'm going to get ASP John to give us an insight into that program.
17:16Let me begin with this statement.
17:22The men and women of the TTPS who are involved in investigating these homicides are just that, human beings.
17:29And we take that job very seriously. I'm still a homicide investigator.
17:34And we do recognize the impact it has on families who have lost loved ones.
17:40They are no longer there within their homes to hug, to speak to, to listen to.
17:45It's a devastating thing.
17:47On the TTPS, we have the Victim Support Unit, as well as the Social Work Unit, who are doing a magnificent job, Mark, in order to bridge that gap and to assist families along the line of psychosocial support.
18:01And yesterday, I was blessed enough to be part of the Life After Loss Program, which was held at the Melsi Buku in Buku, Tobago.
18:13And it was designed to provide continuous support to families of persons who lost their lives to homicide.
18:20And the team in Tobago, charged with the responsibility of investigating these homicides, is a very dedicated team.
18:28I know each one of them.
18:30And that's Superintendent Mark Joseph.
18:34Joseph, yes.
18:35And that's Miss Darryl Cipriani of the Victim Support.
18:41The program was well attended and well received.
18:46I had a particular engagement where a woman wanted some answers.
18:51She demanded answers as to what's happening with the investigation surrounding the death of her son.
18:57And it really hit me hard because she needed the answers.
19:01She needed the feedback.
19:03She needed to know that, hey, we are there still focusing on finding who did this.
19:09And I had to reassure her.
19:11And she took a few minutes, well, to pour out how she felt.
19:14And it was really important that that happened.
19:17You understand, Mark?
19:19Incorporated in the program was grief therapy and practical tools to help participants cope with life.
19:26It has sessions with children, teenagers, and adults with symbolic activities like candle making that were both therapeutic and commemorative.
19:35Persons took the time to give testimonials.
19:38And as a police officer being part of that, I had to reassure people that we still care and will always care as to what's happening in families.
19:47What was the interaction like speaking with these children who would have lost their parent or parents to violent crime?
19:58And how was this particular activity able to kind of soothe them into talking, remembering their parents in the most fondest of memories?
20:13And what was that interaction like for you?
20:15Very powerful.
20:17I've lost colleagues due to violent crime.
20:20And it pains me to see the blood on the street, Mark.
20:25And when you hear as to reasons or motives why these things happen, it's people that don't care about life and don't care about people.
20:34You understand?
20:35And being part of the TTPS, we do what we can to bring some relief, to bring some justice to people's lives.
20:42You know?
20:43So we're going to work together with members of the public to track down these killers and bring them to justice, Mark.
20:50And I imagine one of the other significant things that the Victim Support Unit will do, of course, with the support of other officers, is that these young children with impressionable minds, obviously, would have lost, in most cases, their father.
21:04Yes.
21:05And you will now have to monitor these children as they grow up.
21:08Yes.
21:09Because you don't want them to fall into that pattern of life that some of them, not all, would have fallen into.
21:17Correct.
21:18Correct.
21:19And you look at empowering families.
21:22And once you have a community support base, I think it's better for the child.
21:27So the child is not growing up solo or alone.
21:31The community cares enough to say, listen, we are going to inject some time, some resources, some energy into this child, so this child is going to stay along the right path.
21:39It's powerful stuff, but we have to hold on to it.
21:44I mean, as you said, the children are our future.
21:47Correct.
21:48And once they have the right role models and the right persons around them in that positive environment.
21:55Mentors as well, yes.
21:56Mentors, it helps to nourish their minds and to, I guess, block that negative things that would have happened to them in the early stages of their life and move on to a really positive path.
22:07Yeah.
22:08What hit me hard was the understanding that grief is as natural as it can be, and people should be allowed to grieve, no matter how long it takes.
22:16And coming out from that event yesterday, I understood a little more as to the dynamics of that psychological component of trauma that evolves from these victims.
22:29What would be one lesson you as an officer would have taken away with your interaction, not so much with the parents, but rather the young children and teenagers that were victims of this violent crime?
22:44How can we be there for them more?
22:47I keep thinking about this, Mark.
22:50And we being part of the society itself, yes, we have a function.
22:54Everyone has their function.
22:56But to be there more, not on the enforcement side, but a softer approach along the community building aspect and taking more charge.
23:05I believe in that.
23:07Certainly, I mean, as you said, community policing is part thereof, and of course, the St. James Youth Club and all these other police youth clubs that you have helps to kind of sculpt and mould these young minds into a positive way of thinking and a positive path where they might aspire to be somebody of greatness in a particular sector.
23:30Absolutely.
23:31You know, there's a notion that we have, we call them the Generation X.
23:35I don't think that's the right attribute to put on people.
23:39It's like you're crossing them out.
23:40Yeah.
23:41You know?
23:42Give people a chance.
23:43Create the environment for them to prosper, and they will.
23:46Certainly.
23:47And I really want to commend the officers and the senior superintendent, Eli, and BSP John, DCP Subera, and others for the tremendous work you all have been doing in a very short space of time.
24:02Because I know Mr. John has been there a little longer than you guys, but obviously, you have to acclimatise yourself to understand the society there and the workings of the inner or the underworld, that is, and being able to get a quick grasp and handle on that so that you could put a stop to the violent crime.
24:23We're going to take a short break, and we'll be back.
24:25Stay with us.
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27:40Restoring trust, Mark, is a key, key issue.
27:54We know that how hesitant members of the public are when they approach us, when they engage us.
28:01That restoration of trust and confidence is something that we are seriously working through community engagement projects.
28:08We have the community walkabouts, we have town meetings, we have station council meetings.
28:12We are in their faces, Mark.
28:15And once we build that trust, you can see the evidence of it unfolding.
28:21And let's look at one of the largest or the largest build drug bust on the island of Tobago.
28:28Now when I took over the operations head, I had a very, very tough, tough responsibility.
28:37Because previously, Assistant Superintendent Barrett had it.
28:40And I had to speak with him and gain advice from him as to, listen, how are we going to do this?
28:46And he's a person who listens and he cares for making positive changes.
28:51And I will always lean on him.
28:52Because he laid a foundation that all I need to do is just to build on it.
28:56And we speak frequently as to what we can do to change the dynamics in Tobago.
29:01And we listen, we listen to the men and women as well who have been patrolling, who bring in the intelligence, and things unfold.
29:09You look at on the 2nd of December, based on information received, the officers acted quickly and decisively in intercepting 42.2 million worth of drugs, as well as a quantum of firearms.
29:24I remember we had some footage of the police actually sorting the drugs on the beachfront.
29:32Sent to me by someone and I think we showed that.
29:35But I know that would involve a lot of hard work because obviously you have people that you have to trust and they have to trust you with the information.
29:45Correct.
29:46Informants of course.
29:47Correct.
29:48That would be able to assist you all in bringing on an operation like that.
29:52Correct.
29:53The lifeblood of policing, Mark, is information.
29:55How we qualify that information into evidence, that's the little tricky part.
29:59But officers, based on capacity building and based on training and developmental opportunities, we're getting better and stronger and more united because it's important.
30:07When you treat with organized crime types, the police ought to be more organized in how we approach things.
30:13From the intel gathering to the operational dispatch.
30:16So we're seeing more of that every single day as we do this.
30:20So I must say kudos to the officers, the task force officers under Sergeant Taylor.
30:25I must say kudos to the men and women who have been putting it out day and night.
30:29And the station commanders, they are key in the Tobago security construct.
30:36The inspectors, the SDOs of the various six stations in Tobago.
30:40I say kudos and praise to you.
30:43And I know that you've been there for a while.
30:46So this particular drug was done or attempted in the dead of the night.
30:52Yes.
30:53Do you all see a pattern that has emerged over a period of time where drug traffickers would try to use the cover of night?
31:01Yes.
31:02And I know we have seen they're using submarines and so on from Columbia to Australia where they would have uncovered, sometimes not detected by radar and so on.
31:12Yes.
31:13Have you all seen a marked increase in that kind of activity to try and evade the police or the Coast Guard as the case may be?
31:20What we do know, I can't speak to these submarines.
31:23What we do know is that as they become innovative, these criminals become innovative, we have to match.
31:31How do we match it?
31:33Our intel gathering has to be stronger.
31:35The way how we collect intelligence has to be in a way that we can dissect, analyze, and then disseminate to the various entities that can act on it.
31:43So it's a multi-agency approach to treating with something like this.
31:47We have various actors that come together to treat with things like this.
31:52You understand?
31:53And as I speak to organized crime, we're looking at a body of people with a focused approach to committing crimes that has an international connect.
32:01All right?
32:02So they can conceal or attempt to conceal how much they want.
32:05But we are on their toes, Mark.
32:08And you said you talk about the international connect of transatlantic crime.
32:12Yes.
32:13Which is huge.
32:14And we have an entity here that deals with that, TOKU.
32:17I've heard about them.
32:18And the information that you would have shared with the public here, of course, was in the media a couple days ago, a couple weeks ago.
32:28What percentage, if you will believe, of drugs that pass through Tobago is sent outward to Europe or to North America?
32:37All right.
32:38I think that type of information would be something I would not want to relay out here.
32:42What I would say is that we would, once we have the information, intercept whatever quantum may be moving on the island or past the island together with other military assets that we have to assist us.
32:56The Coast Guard is key in protecting our coastline.
32:59So our relationship with the Coast Guard is important in understanding as to what is on, you see, who is moving and where they're going to.
33:07You understand?
33:08Right.
33:09So, I mean, we look at this table here, 2020 for narcotics.
33:15A huge sum of cannabis.
33:20It's about 282 kilograms.
33:23That is then 14.2 kilograms of cocaine.
33:27It's a large quantum, yes.
33:28Is it that a lot of the cannabis that comes into Tobago is consumed there or it's sent up the islands or what's happening?
33:39Right.
33:40So I would not want to venture to that mark.
33:42Cannabis is grown here within our soil.
33:45And we do have information of foreign-grown cannabis entering into the country.
33:51I don't want to give dynamics such as what percentage, how much.
33:55It's not something that is appropriate as a security professional.
33:58But it has become prevalent or it has increased over the last couple of years.
34:05Well, we're paying attention to it.
34:06We're paying attention to any particular movement of such.
34:09And you've noted, has there been a more marked increase in smuggling that through the sea bridges rather than via the air?
34:22What I can say is this.
34:23When you look at the quantum retrieved over the year, 296.28 kilograms of cannabis.
34:30Some would not have been within this soil.
34:34Look at the 14.97 kilograms of cocaine.
34:37That's a large amount of cocaine.
34:38And we would know cocaine is not produced based on a coca plant in this country.
34:43It's outside.
34:44So, again, based on the consumption needs, that's a different thing.
34:48Another entity would analyze that.
34:50And then we'll be able to devise our strategies to treat with that type of thing.
34:54But our international partners, Mark, Tokyu, Interpol, are key in understanding the major ebb and flow players of these transshipments.
35:05I just want to ask you one further question.
35:07Sure.
35:08A couple of months ago, there was a huge drug bust in South Trinidad.
35:14I believe it was in Cedrus.
35:16And I think at that time, Mr. Smith was down there.
35:19Ah, yes.
35:20Right?
35:21And there were particular markings based on some conversations I had with various police officers.
35:28And in the same breath, I want to ask you if you've seen particular markings on particular drug shipments, seized drug shipments, that you're able to say this is associated to X, this is associated to Y, and this is associated to Z.
35:45So, I've paid observation to the markings, which is key in understanding the ownership and the origin of these narcotics.
35:54Coming from an organized crime investigative background, it's important to work with international partners, especially DA, in regards to this.
36:02So, we pay attention to the markings to understand the source, possible source, and to understand what may be the possible destination.
36:12It's important to understand it's a process that these traffickers enter into to have, what should I say, property identification as to their product.
36:24I know. Right.
36:25And also a signal, how they wrap it and so on.
36:27Correct.
36:28It could also be perceived as a signal as to where it goes and so on, even if they don't put a symbol.
36:33Correct.
36:34Yeah?
36:35All right.
36:36We're going to take a short break, and we'll be back.
36:38Stay with us.
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39:26Welcome back to Beyond the Tape.
39:28I'm your host, Mark Bassant, joined today by ASP Dirk John of the Tobago Division.
39:32We want to remind you of the numbers to call.
39:346231711 Extensions 1992, 1993, and 1997.
39:40We'd certainly like to hear from you guys in Tobago as we continue our program.
39:46So yesterday on the program, we had Captain Valens Ramarat from the Hunter Search and Rescue Team.
39:54Yes.
39:55And he walked us through a very unfortunate situation that occurred over the weekend, Saturday night, I believe, into Sunday morning,
40:03involving several hunters who had gone into that area in Ecclesville, crossing a river and so on.
40:10And they went to their camp, very senior hunters.
40:13And several of them consumed coffee.
40:18The gentleman you see in the red pants there, Mr. Vishnu Dipchand, later passed away.
40:24There are other men who also consumed that coffee that also fell ill.
40:30They were later taken to the Sangu Gandhi Hospital, where I understand most of them were released and seem to be making a full recovery.
40:42Wonderful.
40:43But this alleged poisoning, it's really troublesome that, you know,
40:48somebody would go through these lengths to ensure that someone or some people are dead.
40:55I wouldn't want to speculate as to what may have been the cause of death.
41:00To the family of Vishnu Dipchand, our condolences.
41:03We will dig deep as to what caused this to happen.
41:10Now, a toxicology report is important, arising out of the post-mortem, which can allow the officers a better view as to what we're looking at.
41:20Now, again, what would cause this? What would be the motive?
41:24So I am confident any homicide officers haven't been part of that construct.
41:28I am sure that under Senior Superintendent Dil Paul and the team, we will make a breakthrough in that.
41:36It's really sad, you know, these guys are accustomed to going into that camp.
41:41And as Mr. Rambarat would have said yesterday, that they have camps where they have groceries and so on.
41:48I see.
41:49Now they are thinking twice about actually leaving groceries there, because you don't know,
41:54somebody with ill will or ill intent will want to go to the camp and put something that might not be fit for consumption to the human body.
42:04Yes.
42:05Which might lead to complications and even death.
42:08And if it turns out this is the case with Mr. Dipchand, you know, certainly somebody or some bodies must be held accountable.
42:16When we investigate these homicides, we look at the propelling motive, if it exists, to understand the intention behind the act.
42:25You see, we do know that there are varying factors that may cause people to hurt someone.
42:31And once we can identify the motive and connect it to someone, then our investigation broadens.
42:38You understand?
42:40But we will find out what is happening on this.
42:43Yes, certainly.
42:44And I am hopeful that they can bring a swift close to this particular incident.
42:51It is not very often that you get homicide related to that, suspected homicide that is related in this way,
42:59in terms of somebody trying to poison someone or allegedly poison several people.
43:05Exactly.
43:06You know, and it is troubling, because these people were in their camps, where they have access to their foodstuff and so on.
43:13Yes.
43:14It is four different families, eh?
43:15Yes.
43:16So, again, we have to be very mindful as to the suspicion that may arise.
43:20You made mention as to leaving foodstuff unattended in these camps.
43:25I would say don't do that.
43:27Don't leave these things.
43:28Walk with your foodstuff when you go to camp, when you go to hunt.
43:32Don't leave it unattended.
43:34Okay?
43:35Yes.
43:36Agreed.
43:37All right.
43:38So, on a brighter note, on the weekend, the St. James Police Youth Club at the Christmas Street,
43:46that is my friend there, Corporal Shabody with Santa Claus and several children having a ball.
43:56It was well attended.
43:57I think he told me it is close to 200 or 250 children came out.
44:04Various activities, face painting, sweets, Santa Claus, the Bouncy Castle.
44:11Is Mr. Shabody the Santa Claus?
44:13No.
44:14I saw him next to Santa Claus just now.
44:17But, you know, come to think of it, he might make a good Santa Claus.
44:20Who knows?
44:21I worked with him as a young police officer in St. James many years ago.
44:24Right.
44:25Very solid guy, you know.
44:26Really into the community-oriented philosophy, man.
44:31It is good to see him.
44:32Yeah.
44:33I mean, you know, he put some smiles on the faces of children in the community.
44:37That is the intention there to kind of, as you said, to build that trust and that confidence.
44:43Correct.
44:44That is so much needed now more so than ever as we try to shape young impressionable minds
44:50and make sure that they end up on the right path.
44:53Correct.
44:54Correct.
44:55We lean heavy on families.
44:57We do know that no one is going to come on the street unless they exit their home.
45:01Once you are within a home environment, mom, dad, mom or dad, someone has to pay attention to your children.
45:10All right?
45:11As well as when they are coming home at certain hours, you need to ask questions.
45:16Who were you with?
45:17Where did you come from?
45:19How are things?
45:20Because friends take you to a point, Mark, and when that point hits you hard, what happens now?
45:26Everyone is holding their head.
45:28But they say friends just take you but they never bring you back sometimes.
45:31Exactly.
45:32And interestingly, you raise that point because a couple of days ago, I think it was last week,
45:37a caller called into the show.
45:40He was still waiting for the Tobago callers and apparently the gentleman said that his son brought him an expensive item
45:49but his pocket couldn't even afford something like that.
45:53Yes.
45:54And he decided to get the police involved and he called the police.
45:56Yes.
45:57Because the last thing you want is somebody accepting a gift to do something illegal.
46:00Correct.
46:01Or that is how it starts in terms of, you know, that initiation to join a particular gang or organization of some sort.
46:09All right.
46:10I think we have a caller on the line.
46:11Caller, good evening.
46:13Good evening.
46:14This is the inspector, Thomas Abasano.
46:17I have a suggestion.
46:18I have a lot of suggestions to improve the life of the citizens of this country.
46:23I would like to see this officer and all the senior superintendents and all the divisions get together.
46:29I love you to the government for fun, for victims of crime and accidents and especially serious crimes.
46:37Sometimes 80% of these people get killed.
46:40Innocently is the breadwinner and there's nothing for common.
46:44I know this is in the making two years ago, I remember.
46:48So I don't know what's happened.
46:50Officer, I wish you would look into this and get the people together.
46:54I love you to the government for funding for victims of crime.
46:58All right.
46:59So good evening.
47:00There is the criminal injuries compensation board that victims are referred to in order to access some form of compensation.
47:10So there is a process that exists that many people know about it.
47:14It's online under the Ministry of National Security website.
47:18Criminal injuries compensation board.
47:21Our victim support unit also refers victims to this board with an expectation that there's some form of compensation that can be had.
47:31But you cannot compensate fully for the loss of someone that you've been caring for or who cared for you over the years.
47:37All right.
47:38Well said.
47:39We're going to take a short break and we'll be back.
47:41Stay with us.
47:48The.
48:07Yes, you ready?
48:13Yes.
48:23Here's to one more tradition shared.
48:29One more expression of gratitude.
48:37One more reason to celebrate.
48:40One more joyful melody.
48:42The more meaningful moments we share, the merrier Christmas will be.
49:05The.
49:33We're going from house to house with Amplia.
49:36Switch or sign up for Smart 300 to save and win.
49:40Unwrap your perfect look this Christmas at CV Optical with 60% off designer frames and a whopping 40% off lenses.
49:48Visit any of our five locations nationwide and check out our website at cvoptical.com.
50:04Welcome back to be on the tape.
50:05I'm your host, Mark Bussan.
50:06Joined today by ASP John from the division.
50:10I just have a couple of minutes left to be gone.
50:12Very disappointed for me today.
50:14But I'm sure you guys are going to make up for that.
50:17Just any parting words as we go on.
50:19I just want to put you on the spot to ask you, what's your wish for Trinidad and New Year?
50:25Wow.
50:26That's a powerful stuff.
50:28First of all, we are not here by guess.
50:31The executive of the TPS on the.
50:34Our commissioner.
50:36Has a strategy.
50:38That we are trying to realize more and more every single day.
50:41And the officers are believing in that strategy and it is important to have a vision.
50:45To look towards.
50:47And I must give praise to the all hands on deck.
50:51Principle.
50:52We have.
50:53Office staff.
50:54Garage staff.
50:56Various entities, CRO, CID.
50:59SVD.
51:00Everyone coming and playing their part.
51:02Warrant section is important.
51:04The court and process branch.
51:06As we look to cement.
51:08Or to keep safe.
51:10People of this beautiful island of Tobago.
51:13Now.
51:17Prior to the arrival.
51:19Of ACP Subero and Senior Sup Eli.
51:22ACP Hazel and Senior Sup Kirk.
51:25Were pushing towards.
51:27Reducing what they can.
51:29The level of violent crime and I must say.
51:31Working with Mr. Hazel and Mr. Cook.
51:34Was indeed rewarding.
51:36And it's being foods.
51:38Along this particular juncture.
51:40I would encourage.
51:42Members of the public.
51:44To look at.
51:46The surroundings.
51:48We have officers on patrol.
51:50That when they pass.
51:52We want to seize the opportunity to talk to the officers.
51:54Get some advice as to how to improve.
51:56The security around your perimeter.
51:58Because we want to as they say.
52:00Harden the target.
52:02You see sometimes people leave things.
52:04Property cash in their vehicles.
52:06Unattended unsecured people leave.
52:08Wackers unsecured.
52:10Now Tobago has changed back.
52:12You can't do these things anymore.
52:14Because property crimes are crimes of opportunity.
52:16And once someone seizes the opportunity.
52:18They're going to take your hard-working.
52:20You understand.
52:22So we have the bicycle youth club.
52:24Which is a very good thing with the youths.
52:26They are involved.
52:28Very good work from the community officers.
52:30The tourism oriented policing section.
52:32And I'm asking the public.
52:34To reduce the opportunities.
52:36As much as they can.
52:38Work with us.
52:40Listen to the advice that we put out.
52:42Under these public information campaigns that we have.
52:44Christmas tips.
52:46Be vigilant.
52:48Be vigilant with your belongings.
52:50Please don't walk through the streets of Scarborough.
52:52Wherever you are.
52:54With visible heavy jewelry.
52:56It's an opportunity for someone to snatch and run.
52:58Use your cards.
53:00Instead of a large amount of cash on you.
53:02Alright.
53:04Let people know that you're not home.
53:06Let someone watch over your place when you're not there.
53:08Be more community and neighborhood oriented.
53:10Alright.
53:12Protect yourselves as reasonably as possible.
53:14Alright.
53:16CCTV.
53:18As a means of crime prevention.
53:20As a technique.
53:22And it could assist us if there's any problem.
53:24Around your premises as well.
53:26So we're encouraging more community participation.
53:28And we as the police are going to lead.
53:30Alright.
53:32That's a lot.
53:34But I know that.
53:36I hope that everybody would heed some of your pointers.
53:38And I'm sitting at your wishes.
53:40For Trinidad and Tobago.
53:42As one of your major wishes.
53:44For the year 2025.
53:46And beyond.
53:48Alright.
53:50Repeat tonight at 1130.
53:52We run tomorrow at 11 o'clock.
53:54The TV6 News is up next.
53:56Stay with us.