(Trinidad Guardian) Selwyn “Robocop” Alexis, 51, was well known to the police in the Central Division over the years to be involved in high-level criminality.
However, he had another side to him—the Robin Hood of the community of Enterprise.
Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, retired assistant commissioner of police Stephen Ramsubhag, who was in charge of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in the Central Division between 2005 and 2008, said he knew Alexis very well.
Ramsubhag said Alexis had his criminal past but yet he commanded great respect from the people within the community.
“He had another side of him, the Robin Hood, where he took monies from people he perceived as the rich and gave handouts to the needy, the youths under him and the residents in the community,” Ramsubhag said.
“I think it would have been to maintain a sort of rank to fellow criminal elements, also to residents, so that they would look up to him and turn a blind eye in giving information on the criminal conduct of Robocop and that was who Robocop was.”
Reminiscing on Alexis’ past, Ramsubhag said he started off as a maxi taxi tout.
“I remember one day Robocop brought in a police officer who was highly intoxicated to the police station and with his handgun. This was funny, but this was who Robocop was also.”
He described Alexis as a man with a lot of street sense who used it wisely and in a way that no one could beat him on.
“He used his street sense to capitalise on it to gain money, illegally and legally. Robo was that man,” Ramsubhag said.
While he did not admit to knowing the type of relationship Alexis shared with the many senior superintendents who passed through the Central Division over the years, Ramsubhag said as one in charge of the CID back then, he carried out his duties and conducted several raids at Alexis’ house.
A former superintendent of police, who wished not to be identified, described Alexis as a highly respected individual by people and even by police, including seniors.
The former cop even described Alexis as “super-influential with law enforcement officers throughout all the police stations within the Central Division, especially the Cunupia station and Longdenville post.”
Asked what relationship Alexis had with the senior superintendents who passed through the division, he would only say, “There are all kind of relationships—for good reasons and for bad.”
Former national security minister, Gary Griffith, said during his tenure he found it very unfortunate and strange that there was very little data given on Alexis at that time.
“No intelligence, only information. This was required from the law enforcement officials in this area. But whilst the area was safe and all other gangs and criminal elements were being targeted and arrested, nothing was being said or done involving Robocop,” Griffith said.
Asked why he thought this was so, Griffith said he believed it was either Alexis was a model citizen in Chaguanas and all that was said about him was a lie, or that certain elements in law enforcement in Chaguanas were on a different payroll and were protecting certain gang leaders whilst targeting others.
He said it was because of this situation and others like it that he established the National Security Special Operations Group under the National Operations Centre (NOC). He said the elite unit’s goal was to target all gangs and their leaders.
Some of the cases involving Alexis over the past decade
May 2002
Charged with demanding $5,000 from Deonanan Ramdial by threats and menaces. Case dismissed against him by a Chaguanas magistrate after Ramdial said he did not know Alexis.
September 2003
Alexis freed of kidnapping San Fernando businessman Sarran Kissoondan after the state’s main witness, Kevin Richards, was found in a Longdenville pond wrapped in a black garbage bag and weighed down with rocks.
November 2007
A nine-member jury found Alexis and three other men not guilty of kidnapping Sangre Grande jeweller Henry Francis in 2002, after the state’s main witness refused to give evidence.
June 2008
Alexis, Kevon Nurse, Justice of the Peace Stephen Young and van driver Kenneth Martin were all committed to stand trial at the High Court for attempting to pervert the course of public justice. They were charged with attempting to deter a witness from giving evidence in the kidnapping of Henry Francis during the period April 24 to September 27, 2007.
July 2009
Alexis and two other men charged with kidnapping Imtiaz Khan, an employee of Ghany Distribution and Marketing Ltd, at Industrial Lane, Champ Fleurs. They were also charged with armed robbery, being in possession of a stolen seven-tonne truck valued at $575,000, and $2.6 million worth of cigarettes, which also belonged to the company. They were eventually found not guilty by Magistrate Ramraj Harripersad, after defence attorney Wayne Sturge argued that the officer who laid the charges admitted under cross-examination that he did not have enough evidence to charge the men and he only did so based on orders from his seniors.
September 2010
Alexis was found guilty of assaulting PCs Nigel Duncan, Andy Mohammed, Kevin Richards and Bijay Gangaram on September 8, 2008, and was ordered to pay fines.
November 2010
Alexis and his wife Bernadette Alexis were charged with receiving four arc welders between September 14 and November 9, 2010, valued at $8,800, knowing them to be stolen. The case was later dismissed.
September 2011
Alexis arrested at apartment at One Woodbrook Place in Woodbrook and charged with the murder of Vincent Simmons, at Nimblett Street, Enterprise, Chaguanas in 2008. The charge was eventually discontinued by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Several months later, Alexis was among 16 men detained for an alleged plot to assassinate then Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and members of her Cabinet. All were eventually released without charge at the expiration of the state of emergency imposed by the then government.