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  • 7 months ago
The State of Emergency officially came to an end

The PNM presented its manifesto

and, the suspended Top Cop's court case was deferred
Transcript
00:00good evening and welcome to the past seven days on six i am ranessa cutting has what made the
00:22news this past week the state of emergency officially came to an end the pnm presented
00:29its manifesto and the suspended top cops court case was deferred as per usual if it was happening
00:36it was on six let's get right into it the state of emergency which began on december 30th ended last
00:44week the national security minister told tv6 news a reduction in the murder rate is just one of the
00:51successes that resulted from the soe tv6 news has spoke with national security minister marvin
00:58gonzalez via telephone with just hours left before the end of the state of emergency which did not
01:05prevent public gatherings and did not include a curfew the national security minister referred
01:11to data he said he received from the police service of course one would have hoped it could have been
01:1650 or more but these things you have to take it as they come and you access it on a daily basis
01:23so a 30 reduction in murders and other serious crimes um is welcome news and um and we look to build on
01:32these successes as we go along minister gonzalez said closer collaboration between the state's
01:38intelligence agencies is another success of the soe the other thing is that um the the law enforcement
01:48agencies but in addition to that they have confiscated over 200 um firearms and a large
01:56assortment of ammunition um large amount of um drugs um cocaine and marijuana they have ramped up a lot
02:04of police operations i think is over three or four thousand uh police operations during that period of
02:09time because it was very easy um and easier to to get search warrants minister gonzalez said over 50
02:16people especially those involved in criminal gang activities were arrested via preventative detention
02:23orders as of yesterday um it is about 15 um 15 of those persons who were detained um they've been
02:32not facing criminal charges so they've been taken into um into custody by the police and um and charges
02:38have been laid against them the rest of them have been released and um and during that period of
02:45detention we would have seen a significant reduction in our murders that was as a result would have been as
02:52a result of young activities so what assurances can be given that there would not be a return of a high
02:58level of murders and other serious crimes the kind of assurance that you can give is that the is
03:06regarding the commitment of law enforcement to learn from the depositors that came out of the state of
03:14emergency which is the continued collaboration to ensure that we have credible intelligence information
03:21that will support police operations minister gonzalez spoke about the decision on friday
03:28regarding the weekly briefings held during the soe since he was appointed the national security
03:34minister on march 17th i will share those meetings on a weekly basis and we will continue to ensure
03:42and to resource the tgps especially their vehicle fleet so that they can be able to respond to crime
03:50in a more reliable way and that they can have presence on our streets there will be no emergency powers in
03:56effect going forward including for the remaining two weeks of the campaigning for the general election
04:02on april 28th jewel brown tv6 news mere days later criminals executed a brazen attack just outside the
04:12piako international airport leaving one man dead and two others injured the victim identified as 34 year
04:19old akim kwash had just returned to the country when gunmen opened fire on him brazen and horrific this
04:28was how the murder of 34 year old akim kwash also known as sours of pear street in maraval outside of the
04:35piako international airport this morning has been described kwash succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds
04:42shortly after being transported to the orima general hospital two other persons were injured in the
04:48drive-by shooting they are 35 year old man from la plata village in maraval who sustained gunshot wounds
04:55to both legs and a 32 year old man from paramin road in maraval who was the driver of the vehicle that
05:02was shot up he suffered minor injuries while trying to escape the shooters the 32 year old man was taken
05:10to the orima hospital where he is listed in a stable condition police were told that kwash had arrived on a
05:17flight from panama and was leaving the airport when the incident occurred but on reaching a blue hyundai
05:23tucson which was there to pick him up another vehicle drove past and the occupants opened fire on the suv
05:31kwash was shot multiple times and collapsed on the ground one of the other two occupants of the suv
05:38managed to exit the vehicle and run into the customs and excise units to seek shelter the gunmen then
05:45fled the scene alexander bruswell tv6 news in response the top cop put additional security in place at the
05:54airport acting commissioner of police junior benjamin is assuring the public that the trinidad and tobago
06:02police service will be increasing its security operations across all divisions with special
06:08focus on the nation's airports on both islands following the fatal shooting at the piaco international
06:15airport this morning speaking with tv6 news in the aftermath of the incident benjamin expressed
06:22condolences to the family of the victim that being said in terms of the national security posture as
06:32related to the police service we are very much concerned about what has transpired he said that the
06:40ttps would be treating the issue seriously according to the acting commissioner the ttps has long anticipated
06:48an uptick in violent incidents following the expiration of the state of emergency he noted that law enforcement
06:56officials have remained on alert especially with reports indicating that gang activity remains a persistent
07:05threat we recognize that persons are going to try to uh become more brazen as it you know the end of the soe
07:18but we are saying that we are prepared for that because even though this is happening in the airport which
07:24is of great concern we are saying that we are going to step up our security as relates to the airport
07:33while the murder itself drew national and even international attention due to its location
07:40benjamin emphasized that the ttps applies the same level of seriousness to all homicides regardless of
07:47location he noted that deputy commissioner of police kurt simon has reportedly given directives for
07:54increased police presence and special operations not only in the north central division where the
08:01incident took place but across all 10 policing divisions we are going to step up our security as
08:09as we relates to the airport we have presently um the tcp operation has called all his divisional commanders
08:18and we have planned some strategies and not just for the north central division but all our divisions as we seek to
08:26step up our security posture benjamin also noted that the ttps would be implementing new protocols and operational
08:35strategies at the airport itself with the intent of preventing any similar occurrences in the future
08:43alexander bruswold tv6 news we had to a quick break we'll have more news when we return
08:49welcome back investigators are expected to revisit the office of the director of public prosecutions
09:04concerning the inquiry into layup christopher while she served as top cop this was confirmed by deputy
09:10commissioner of police susette martin last week yes sir we have we revisited dpp on two occasions and
09:19we are going to visit him before the end of this week and we'll be able to give you a feedback
09:25martin said that the investigative team was expected to return to gasford once again and present him with
09:31their case concerning earlier herwood christopher's approval of allegedly banned firearms into the country
09:38it is hoped that he would then make a determination on what charges if any herwood christopher would face
09:44the investigative team supervised by martin has sought consultation with gaspard on at least two prior
09:51occasions police are trying to determine if there was any wrongdoing by herwood christopher and if so
09:58if it constituted to misbehavior in public office and even as investigations continue the police service
10:05may look at other charges herwood christopher was appointed commissioner in february of 2023 and had three and a
10:12half months left on a contract at the time of her suspension after she attained the retirement age of 60
10:19on may 15 2023 her service was extended based on contractual agreements she was detained at her office
10:27at the police administration building in port of spain on january 30th by a team of detectives headed by deputy
10:35commissioner suzart martin herwood christopher was questioned for two days and eventually released from the
10:42saint claire police station on february 1st however while she was in custody on january 31st the police service
10:50commission placed herwood christopher on suspension with immediate effect alexander bruswell tv6 news
10:58meantime minister of national security marvin gonzalez confirmed that the selection process for a police
11:06commissioner is currently underway but he stressed the government is not involved in the process
11:13with suspended police commissioner or herwood christopher's contract coming to an end next
11:19month the police service commission is moving apace to appoint a substantive police commissioner
11:25however newly appointed minister of national security marvin gonzalez is making it clear
11:30that the government has no additional information on the process the police service commission is an
11:36independent commission and the government is not involved in it the last i've heard is that the
11:40process is ongoing um the government the cabinet the national security council has not been advised that
11:47the process has been completed so as far as we are wearing the government as far as i am aware in the
11:53ministry that process is ongoing the commissioner's challenge to a suspension was supposed to be
11:59heard before a high court judge today but the matter has been deferred to a date to be determined
12:05however the police investigation remains active the ministry of national security and the government
12:12of trinidad and tobago we are not participating we are not involved we are not a party to this process and
12:20there's no way we are we are being provided with any update on this particular matter as i can tell you
12:26that um since i have been on this share within a month now i have had no such briefing on the status
12:32of this particular investigation the government will await the outcome of these processes that are being
12:38managed by an independent commission which is the police service commission dealing with this election
12:44and the filling of the vacancy of the commission of police the director of public prosecution advising the
12:49trinidad and tobago police service with respect to the ongoing investigation concerning the substantive
12:55commission of police we just have to await the outcome of these um processes and once they are
13:02completed the government will follow the law and do what it's supposed to do in accordance with the
13:08constitution what the minister would say however is that it is government's intention to review the
13:15selection process for police commissioners what is the proposal on the table in terms of that change
13:22there is no proposal on the table that the government is presently considering but um
13:29we know as a country that this process is very cumbersome this process is very political it is always
13:37mired in confusion and um it is not one that augurs well for the stability and the management of the
13:44trying to be a police service so that there is a possibility that whatever work has been done up to
13:48the point when parliament reconvenes that that could be quashed no um when we have to comply with
13:55the law and in so far as it relates to whether or not the law is change or not change whatever is the
14:02process we have to follow through with it the pnm launched its manifesto last week for the 2025 general
14:10election and one key area it has focused on is what the prime minister called the scourge of crime
14:17it proposed elite units and illegal immunity for undercover officers engaged in high-risk anti-crime
14:24operations this is a detailed plan as to what we're going to be doing to deal with the everyday
14:33scourge of crime and criminality in trinidad and tobago we've outlined some of these plans
14:39already and you will see from the manifesto and we've put it out into the public domain prime
14:44minister steward young during the launch of the pnm's manifesto some 12 days before the 2025 general
14:50election on april 28th and less than three days after the end of the state of emergency in trinidad
14:56and tobago the pnm's campaign promises in its 2025 manifesto include simplify the selection process for
15:04appointing the commissioner of police ensuring competent strategic leadership the expansion of
15:09ai or artificial intelligence driven cctv monitoring and automated license plate recognition
15:16to track criminal activity in real time expand undercover and covert operations enact legal
15:21immunity for undercover officers engaged in high-risk operations the establishment of specialized
15:28vetted joint teams focusing on gang suppression organized crime counter-terrorism and cybercrime
15:35ensuring coordinated national security efforts before the media had an opportunity to read the pnm's
15:41manifesto prime minister young announced another plan for example the use of elite squads who get better
15:47training proper vetting and insurance that they're not exposed or if they're exposed to corruption they
15:53immediately immediately taken out tv6 used a sort of clarification as we recalled that there was an
15:59announcement of a vetted unit for the police service while the pnm's political leader dr keith rowley
16:05was the prime minister the vetted units that dr rowley had achieved with the united states that is
16:12operational that is a very targeted vetted unit that is going after transnational organized crime and other
16:19manners with assistance as for the plan for elite squads but that is a unit provided with intelligence
16:25as you can rest assured you say okay there's a crime about to be committed on the southwestern peninsula
16:30they will go and they will deal with it intercept it deal with it without the fear of that information
16:37being leaked out and these types of things prime minister young also fielded a question from tv6 news
16:44about his announcement that the government is placing an order for 12 state-of-the-art interceptors
16:50from the united states what we intend to do is put in the application to the u.s exim bank we've
16:56identified the supplier and right now the authorities and the experts are negotiating the prices for these
17:05vessels and will that include the issue of maintenance because i recall that has been a challenge with the
17:11existing fleet for the coast guard the answer is yes every every time we purchase these types of new
17:17assets there is always a maintenance component and that is also why we're building out the capability in
17:24our maritime sector with the dry dock facility at carry dock to be able to service it ourselves as
17:30opposed to sending it to to nearby countries the pnm also announced in their manifesto a plan for the
17:37establishment of a coast guard base at flemish bay tobago jule brown tv6 news in other news a jaw-dropping
17:47moment occurred at the unc campaign meeting in separia last monday former attorney general under the
17:54patrick manning administration john jeremy mounted the unc platform in support of kamala passad possessor
18:02has more shocking by john jeremy's own admission i am the last man you would expect to see here tonight
18:12the senior council acknowledging that there are those who would see it as betrayal of the people's
18:16national movement in which he was once so deeply embedded i am fully aware of all of the ways
18:25that i can be harmed for where i stand tonight and i gain nothing jeremy explaining his decision to unc supporters
18:38drawing distinction between that and his pnm affiliation tonight i speak to you as a patriot
18:48i stand here in front of you to endorse the united national congress jeremy criticized the pnm for a
18:57statement made recently by prime minister stuart young who pointed to the unc using black people to push
19:03hate and division in the country the comment was in reference to two videos one where a man who young
19:09referred to as a paid supporter of the unc was using obscene language and the other where a man in a yellow
19:16jersey threatened to use tie straps to tie up pnm people from voting and i stand to reject that statement
19:25jeremy also asked supporters to examine the situation in the country saying the country was in more than a
19:31crisis in relation to crime and the economy are you better off today than you were 10 years ago
19:44i then ask another question are you going to continue with those who have driven us to this point of crisis
19:57again the logical answer must be no as the country gets ever closer to the general election jeremy made his
20:09choice public i will vote for change i will vote for the united national congress alicia boucher tv6 news
20:20this is the past seven days on six we'll be right back welcome back a preferred bidder has allegedly
20:35been identified to take one operations of the port of port of spain under a public private partnership
20:41the united national congress expressed grave concern particularly about the timing in relation to the
20:48general election or approach east mp dr rudal mooney lal brandishing a document on the political
20:54platform in san fernando west on wednesday april 16th 2025 this document is dated 80 80 april 14 2025.
21:05port authority of truantobago matter for consideration of the cabinet oversight committee evaluation report on
21:12the invitation to tender for the public private partnership project of the port of port of spain
21:18based on the document there were initially six prospective tenderers in september of 2024
21:24with only two pre-qualifying those are terminal investment holdings limited essay based in switzerland
21:30and international container terminal services incorporated based in manila philippines this was in
21:35fact revealed by the port authority in december of 2024 which stated that the ppp would take on a landlord
21:41model under a build rehabilitate operate transfer scheme for a 25-year concession with a roll-on
21:48roll-off and cargo operations being included in the ppp the mp highlights the recommendation from the
21:54cabinet appointed evaluation committee outlined in the april 14th document this committee has determined
22:00that the tenderer international container terminal services incorporated has successfully fulfilled the
22:07requirements of the rfp and the ppp agreement you understand what they are telling an international
22:14firm we are now you have successfully completed it and we are we understand that in the final round
22:22only one firm submitted the final documents dr munilal is questioning why such a decision is being taken so
22:30close to a general election and what will become of the over 1500 port workers they have had no consultation
22:38with the semen and waterfront workers union the recognized union there dr munilal further questions if
22:44the procurement regulator was part of the process but that's not all tonight i ask mr siot young is this deal
22:53is does this have any connection to global finance of your brother where your brother is a senior
23:01official of global finance is that company involved in this transaction he believes it will tie any
23:07potential new government to a legal framework as he says was done close to the 2010 general election
23:13he states that the people's partnership became stuck with the oas in the construction of the highway
23:18from san fernando to point 14. alicia boucher tv6 news minister of works and transport ron simnon told tv6 news
23:28that an official response will be forthcoming and the election goodies keep coming prime minister
23:34steward young promised to increase salaries for nurses a stipend for nursing students and a raised retirement
23:41age for the defense force as the election race heats up promises for a better tnt
23:48are coming from both major sides of the arena nursing students at ue and usc are up for equity with their
23:56costat counterparts i am telling the nursing students tonight and i first was told this story when i was
24:05traveling on behalf of trinidad and tobago fighting for trinidad and tobago and a young nursing student
24:10walks with me to the plane in a foreign country nursing students tonight the next pm government that i intend on
24:20leading from the 29th of april will address this and the students in ue and usc will get the same stipend as
24:29those in costat it has been 12 years since nurses received an increase in their salaries this morning i gave
24:38instructions that that be fixed and that the cpo look at giving on nurses increases from 2013.
24:47prime minister stuart young says he met with a consortium of interested parties on wednesday
24:52leading him to take certain decisions members of the defense force also received attention
25:00over the young retirement age stipulation that is old law and archaic now in today's day today's world
25:08with medical health and keeping fit and wellness we could get a lot more out of the money we've invested
25:16in training or servicemen but also their service and god knows we are at a time that we need every boot
25:24on the ground fighting that criminal element so tonight i tell our men and women in the defense force
25:32that the next pm government is going to give consideration to raising the age of retirement
25:38for our service men and women pm young said pensions will be safe under the new chapter of the pm and that
25:47the process will be automated he also promised a dial-a-ride system to take persons from depressed
25:54areas to the hospital or wishy to worry rupner in tv6 news sport is up next keep it here
26:08in sport trinidad and tobago's athletes were competitive on the opening day of the carifta games
26:14taking place at the hazley crawford stadium the morning session saw a good showing from the local
26:19athletes who booked their spots in the final we start with the girls under 2100 meters at the
26:26hazley crawford stadium where sana frederick earned her a spot in the final with a second place finish
26:32off they go
26:34sanaya frederick got up well sorted an iron nurse from barbados nurse is running brilliantly frederick
26:41and hinkson are there look at this battle it's frederick and hinkson together on the under 17 level
26:46mikhaila granderson also booked her spot in the final
27:02alexi bazaar won his heat in 10.75 and also advanced to the under 17 final off they go
27:09in the under 20 event dylan woodruff had to battle for a spot as he finished his second and qualified
27:26to the final off they go because they got up well woodruff is running well from the british virgin
27:34islands jackson woodruff is there oh this is close well nerves got the better of kadim chinapu who ran
27:41under protest and finished in the top two but was later disqualified in three off they go
27:48ethan sam got up well chinapu is running well chinapu and sam together oh they go to the line
27:58meantime deshawn lazama qualified in third spot in the boys under 2400 meters into the straightaway
28:05look at this turn up in the semi-final zion miller of the bahamas leads the defending champion
28:13austin looks around and ensures he's in a qualifying position sergio dufour tb6 sport
28:18and that's a wrap on the past seven days on six i am ranessa cutting if you didn't catch this segment
28:25in its entirety you can find it on our website www.tv6tnt.com and you can find all these stories
28:34and more on the tv6 mobile app thanks for choosing tv6 and do have a great evening
28:48so
28:55you
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