Cops to increase patrols for Xmas in capital city

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

Head of the Port of Spain Divison Snr Supt Roger Alexander during a media briefing at the Police Academy on Friday. – Photo by Roger Jacob

Head of the Port of Spain Division Snr Supt Roger Alexander says strategies designed to offer maximum coverage and deter criminals were being finalised for the upcoming Christmas and Carnival seasons for the capital city.

Speaking during a media briefing at the Police Training Academy, St James, on Friday, Alexander was asked about the readiness of the divisional police in managing both events.

Carnival 2023 will be the first Carnival celebrations on the streets since the covid19 pandemic in 2020.

Alexander said while he could not share much details on the crime plans, he understood that increased police presence brought more comfort to the public. He said more mobile and foot patrols would be incorporated in their plans.

He also noted that the police would be collaborating with private security guards at businesses to ensure efficient responses.

“We want to get everybody on board, every security officer, every security network.

“We’re getting these people to communicate with law enforcement and it benefits them to because when something happens they may not be able to handle it on their own so they call law enforcement and we took a page out of his book with that night watchman crime initiative. “

He was referring to the recent murder of 39-year-old Anton Smart on Henry Street in October where the killer was arrested shortly after the shooting.

He said police would be deployed to certain areas to in an effort to arrest criminals quickly.

“We know coming down to the Christmas season everyone wants to break open a store, everybody wants to steal something, so what we did again is we positioned police officers strategically in zones because when someone does something in Port of Spain, nobody runs west, everybody runs to the east, so we will block off the escape routes.”

Acting Police Commissioner McDonald Jacob said the Christmas crime plan would continue into the Carnival season next year as the police anticipated a large turnout of revellers and was prepared to ensure everyone’s safety.

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