00:00We appreciate the fact that members of the public are adhering to the warnings that have been placed on them.
00:05But a few of them who decided to still drink alcohol and drive, I'm still warning persons against that
00:10because it is one of the reasons we are having a lot of accidents, both fatal and otherwise.
00:15Police Commissioner Alistair Guevara responding to a question from TV6 News at a brief stop during a walkabout
00:21led by the Homeland Security Minister and the Defense Minister in downtown Port of Spain on Carnival Tuesday morning.
00:27They were joined by those in charge of the Defense Force and the Fire Service.
00:31And in terms of road traffic accidents, the Police Commissioner made reference to that.
00:34How has the Fire Service been basically in terms of responding while dealing with Carnival?
00:38We have been able to respond. We have had an uptick in a number of RTAs.
00:44The severity of the injuries in some cases, right up there, life-threatening.
00:49But we have been able to respond and we have been able to deal with it adequately.
00:52No one specific cause was identified for all of the road traffic accidents during Carnival.
00:58Well, as was said earlier, even before the beginning of the season,
01:01drivers need to pay attention to warn the condition of their vehicles.
01:05Make sure the vehicles are adequately repaired and in good working condition.
01:09Have a designated driver. Do not drink alcohol and drive.
01:13If you are too tired to drive, assign someone else to drive or find a safe place to rest.
01:20Do not exceed the speed limit.
01:22The Police Commissioner expressed another concern.
01:24Again, I'm facing an indication to the public.
01:27Be mindful of your teenage children.
01:29We're having a lot of reports coming into the various stations about children mixing alcohol
01:34along with other psychotropic drugs.
01:37And some of them coming unconscious and haven't taken the stations
01:40and others behaving in a disorderly manner.
01:42And, you know, we wanted to press that point home
01:45so that parents would pay better attention to their children when they are leaving the home,
01:49what they are leaving with, and the persons they interact with.
01:51And as Carnival was set to end on Tuesday night,
01:53in recent years, at Arepita Avenue, for example,
01:56the police have brought the celebrations to an end before 10 p.m.
02:00As for Carnival 2026...
02:01That would be dependent on the behaviour of the members of the public.
02:05When they start fighting and behaving in a disorderly manner,
02:07the police would have no choice but to lock it down.
02:09If they decide to behave in a good way and, you know, enjoy the Carnival vibes,
02:14they could party till 11.59.
02:16They have no problem with that.
02:18Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
02:20Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
