Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams says reports of leaks from within the T&T Police Service (TTPS) to criminals in Enterprise, Chaguanas, are irrelevant in light of the criminals’ use of walkie talkies.
In a telephone interview yesterday, Williams said the main focus of the TTPS was to bring peace and comfort to residents by locating arms and ammunition and arresting criminals.
Enterprise, a community located in Chaguanas East has recently received national attention after it was reported that young men had been brazenly brandishing weapons, shooting and threatening commuters.
According to Williams, the community was not previously seen as a high priority area for the TTPS, having recorded a relatively low crime rate—two murders in June and similar statistics throughout the year.
He said while the police had internal mechanisms to deal with the issue of leaked information, the leaks were not the main issue when it came to the Central community.
The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) announced last week that it was initiating an investigation into the reported leaks.
Williams said: “The PCA can investigate this if they want. The PCA is an independent body and has every right to do that but that is not a priority matter with us in relation to Enterprise.
“We are right now trying to ensure that we get the guns out of the area and that we can continuously work with law-abiding citizens.
“It is not about turning a blind eye. We are putting the priority on the 100 hard-working police officers to ensure peace and tranquility. We cannot focus on the one crooked police.
“For me it is about restoring peace and comfort.”
Police officers told the T&T Guardian that an exercise to root out and arrest the criminals over two weekends ago was compromised when criminals were tipped off.
Officers were only able to seize two home-made shotguns, two rounds of ammunition and a small quantity of cocaine in addition to four arrests.
“In Enterprise the criminals have a network, where they use small walkie talkies and police cannot enter the area without the message being spread via these devices.
“These people with walkie talkies alert the other criminals and they are positioned at key locations,” Williams said.
This was why a police presence had been set up in the community indefinitely, Williams said.
On Saturday, Williams and other members of the National Security Council, led by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, toured Enterprise as a new police and army operation was launched to regain control from criminals.
“It won’t be a matter of them warning the criminals that police are entering the community because the police will already be there, along with army support,” Williams said.
He said the main issue being focused on by the TTPS was the criminal network being managed in the area.
He said it was difficult for police to deal with the people warning the criminals as there was no legislation to allow police to seize the walkie talkies which are a short-range communication devices.