Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 28/Oct 07:15

Fire officers hold teens after theft at fire station

Fire officers on October 27 held four teenagers, who, minutes earlier, allegedly stole several items at the Sangre Grande Fire Station while the officers slept. During a routine security check in the wee hours of the morning, a fire officer at the station noticed some items were missing. He alerted his eight other colleagues on duty who checked and realised some of their personal belongings were also missing. People nearby told the officers about a group of six teenagers they saw loitering near the station and leaving the compound minutes earlier. The officers informed the police and went in search of the teens themselves. They found four of them a short distance away and held them before taking them to the police station. Police conducted their inquiries and were able to retrieve all the stolen items. Fire Officers Association president Keone Guy told Newsday while the officers were pleased their belongings were recovered, the lack of sufficient security measures at some fire stations had been an issue for some time. He noted the lack of proper fencing and lighting left some fire station compounds vulnerable to such incident. Guy said the number of stations facing security vulnerabilities, while he didn’t want to list them, were far more than there should be. “It's a problem that is affecting many fire stations that I don't want to list for security reasons. But we do have some security challenges at our compounds, and this is nothing new for the Fire Service Administration.” “The lack of investment in technology also compromises our safety, so that further puts the officers, their personal items, as well as the state's equipment in jeopardy.” He called on senior fire officials to address the security challenges facing the various stations and said the outcome in the latest incident could have been worse. “They are fully much aware of it, but we will like to hear exactly what would be done. “The suspects were actually able to enter into the compound and successfully get away with a number of items. This could have resulted in officers being either seriously injured or, worse, losing their lives.” He said the association intended to write to the relevant authorities to discuss how any possible security gaps could be remedied. “Certainly, we expect to write Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander, Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro and acting Chief Fire officer Andy Hutchinson to discuss how we could improve security arrangements at fire stations throughout TT.” He lamented the ages of the suspects and noted his officers were willing to help get the teens’ lives back on track. “We want to give them some time to think about whether they press charges or not. “But certainly it's a very sad event where you have kids this young being involved or tied up in the criminal life, and we would want to see them make better choices. And if the officers could help with that, we'd want to do our part as well.” The post Fire officers hold teens after theft at fire station appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.