00:00Commissioner of Police Alistair Guevara today confirmed that search operations in the investigation
00:05into the disappearance of two-year-old Angelo Tobias Plaza had shifted to the coastline
00:10of Tobago.
00:12Speaking during a media briefing at the Police Administration Building in Port of Spain,
00:16Guevara said investigators and multiple agencies remained involved in ongoing searches and
00:22recovery efforts connected to the case.
00:24He also thanked members of the public and emergency response agencies in Tobago for
00:30assisting with the searches.
00:32And we want to take this opportunity to thank the citizens for their patriotism and their
00:37participation in assisting the police in this initial search and since then the continuing
00:43searches.
00:44The civic-mindedness of the Tobago population is indeed noteworthy.
00:52Guevara also commended the Tobago Emergency Management Agency, the fire services, hunters
00:58search and rescue, as well as residents who joined in the operation.
01:03We also had the Tobago Emergency Management Agency, the fire services, hunters who search
01:09and rescue, villagers and everyone got on board with the search.
01:14So I'd like to commend the members of the public and all the agencies who assisted.
01:17The commissioner said CCTV footage recovered by investigators became a critical part of the
01:23investigation.
01:25CCTV footage was recovered by the police, which was crucial in this investigation.
01:31However, Guevara condemned the release of that footage on social media, saying it compromised
01:37police inquiries and generated false leads.
01:40That release of that critical CCTV footage effectively compromised this investigation and led to the
01:51police getting a myriad of calls and what we call false leads, which emanated from rather
01:58speculation than from any evidentiary position.
02:03He said investigators were forced to redirect resources away from the search operation because
02:09of misinformation being circulated online.
02:12And it caused the search effort to divert critical resources from the investigation and from the
02:19search to what we would call a wild goose chase all over the place.
02:24Guevara also warned against sharing evidence connected to active police investigations on social media.
02:29That when you share evidence with the police and you later turn around and share that evidence
02:36with persons on social media, whose goal is not journalism, but rather sensationalism,
02:45you effectively compromise the police investigation.
02:49The police commissioner also addressed reports circulating publicly about an alleged confession in the matter.
02:56That report you got of a confession did not come from the police.
03:00Alexander Brusol, TV6 News.
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