Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 01/Nov 08:45

AG: SoE extended to dismantle criminal gangs

ATTORNEY General John Jeremie says the state of emergency (SoE) is being extended to allow the security forces to complete operations to dismantle criminal gangs. He made the statement when he opened debate in the House of Representatives on October 31 on a motion to extend the SoE by a further period of three months. The House later approved the motion. The SoE was declared on July 18. On July 28, the House extended it for three months. Jeremie reminded MP the SoE declared because of intelligence from the police's Special Branch that was corroborated with other intelligence data "that a plot was in advanced stages of development from within Trinidad and Tobago's correctional facilities...aimed at attacking and targeting citizens involved in the political and justice system and state buildings across the country." Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro, he continued, refers to those involved in the plot as "a criminal syndicate whose command centre is lodged within TT's prisons." Jeremie repeated the SoE was not a crime plan but prevented TT from descending into unprecedented chaos. He said, "That initial crisis was successfully and efficiently dealt with." But he added the police and TT Defence Force currently have other operations against criminal gangs ongoing at this time. Jeremie said the police and Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander advised him about this. "These enhanced powers under the SoE are necessary for the completion and consolidation of their efforts towards dismantling the gangs...the criminal networks and keeping the country safe. Jeremie added the police undertook nationwide exercises since the SoE began on July 18. There were 7, 352 operations. Security forces conducted 48,240 searches, arrested 3,409 people and seized 192 firearms and 2,424 rounds of ammunition. Jeremie said there have been successes in disrupting the leaderships of criminal gangs. 'The amalgamated gang leadership was removed from the Maximum Security Prison, effectively severing their direct influence over street level operations." Jeremie said, "Those prisoners who were initially removed are now housed, in the main, at a secure location from which repeated attempts of them to re-establish contact with persons outside the prison...those attempts have failed." Jeremie added the country has benefited from reduction in murder and other serious crimes as a result of the SoE. "Murders have decreased significantly during the SoE." Jeremie said total murders as of October is 285, a 45 per cent reduction with respect to the murder toll for the same period last year. He added there were 22 murders in August and this was lowest monthly murder total in a decade. SoE extensions are allowed under Section 10 (1) of the Constitution, by a simple majority in the House. The UNC has 26 MPs in the House. The PNM has 13 and the Tobago People's Party (TPP) has two. Although there is no coalition between the UNC and TPP, their MPs have voted together on matters before the House. Given the existing numbers in the House, the SoE will be extended unless the government decides not to do so. However the Constitution forbids an SoE from being extended for more than a total of six months in aggregate, by simple majority vote in the House. To extend the SoE beyond six months, a three-fifths majority vote is needed in the House and Senate. This equates to 25 votes and 19 votes respectively. Government already has 26 MPs in the House to comfortably pass this vote. but it falls short of this vote by four in the Senate. This means the remaining four votes in the Senate to extend the SoE beyond six months must come from any of the six opposition senators or the nine independent senators. The post AG: SoE extended to dismantle criminal gangs appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.