- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 18/Jul 15:03

Organised gangs trigger state of emergency, no curfew

HAVING received information on July 17 that organised criminal gangs, both within the prison system and outside, were actively planning to carry out murders, robberies, and kidnappings, Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro immediately sprang into action, and asked the government to call a state of emergency (SoE). At an emergency press briefing on July 18 at the Police Administration Building in Port of Spain, Guevarro recalled that when he received the information, it was troubling to him. He added that he approached the National Security Council later that night and held a briefing with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and the Attorney General and a recommendation was made "with a heavy heart" to accede to his request for a SoE to address the threat. Guevarro said they agreed, and the President signed that proclamation. Guevarro said he and his team immediately hit the ground running. Earlier, before the conference, Guevarro visited the Maximum Security Prison in Arouca, where he supervised "the extraction of gang leaders," who were then relocated to another facility. He explained that the move was necessary to prevent them from having access to the "liberal communication they were using to facilitate this reign of terror" on people." "Moreso, we have seen recent acts of kidnapping and homicides being perpetrated against our citizenry that we have been able to trace back to this organised crime syndicate," he said. "As your CoP, I cannot in all good conscience stand before you at any given time, knowing what I know and not take definitive action against it," he said. Having now spent a month in the position, Guevarro thanked the public for their support and commended people and fellow police officers for their support. He recalled that police recovered over 30 guns from the streets during his tenure. With no curfew, Guevarro reassured the public, "We want the good citizens of Trinidad and Tobago to enjoy their lifestyles without placing any undue strain on them." Earlier in the morning, communications adviser Rodelle Phillips-Simmons in a message to Newsday stated that the Office of the President advises that all queries relating to the SoE be directed to the Office of the Prime Minister and the Attorney General. Police first announced the emergency early on July 18 via a media statement, citing "credible intelligence" involving threats originating from inside prison walls. The post Organised gangs trigger state of emergency, no curfew appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.