Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams says the national security forces are determined to quell the ongoing violence that has been plaguing Enterprise, Chaguanas, over the past three weeks and which has generated fear among hundreds.
He said so yesterday during the opening of a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) dialogue on citizen security at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain.
Fielding questions from the media, Williams said the authorities were addressing what he referred to as a “flare-up” and urged the media to stop singling out Enterprise as “Trinidad and Tobago has had, historically, a challenge with violent crime.”
“Enterprise had a flare-up in June and we are effectively addressing that.
“Clearly, what is obvious in Enterprise is that you have some young men who have armed themselves and have been using firearms against each other and in doing that citizens have been adversely affected in many ways,” he said.
Williams assured that successful policing had been taking place in Enterprise, with people being arrested daily and guns and contraband being confiscated.
He promised there would be “heightened efforts until Enterprise is returned to its original position where people can enjoy the day, free of any concerns and free of fear.
He said the supportive role the Defence Force was also key to restoring normalcy and calm to the area.
Williams also applauded the Citizen Security Programme of the Ministry of National Security, which was introduced six years ago to restore community confidence and inspire hope among citizens, saying it was initiatives like these which has bolstered confidence levels in the authorities to maintain law and order throughout T&T.
National Security Minister Carl Alfonso also voiced his concern over the recent happenings in Enterprise. He said while both police and soldiers remained stationed throughout the community and would remain on the ground for as long as is necessary, measures have been put in place to ensure that illegal activities were not transferred out of the area into other seemingly quiet neighbourhoods.