(Trinidad Guardian) With 16 people being killed in the last four days of this new and last month of 2017, senior police officers are now looking to push different strategies to “up their game.”
The murder toll reached 460 yesterday with just 27 days remaining in the year. In the past two days there were also two double murders recorded in Belmont and Morvant, making it 25 (double murders) for the year so far.
These figures are not going down well with ACP Anti-Crime Operations Irwin Hackshaw. Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, Hackshaw said there is major dissatisfaction among the senior ranks of the T&T Police Service, including the acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams.
“We are not happy at all…we are not comfortable with what is happening,” Hackshaw said, noting they were especially disturbed with the recent spike in murders.
He said they will now be looking to deploy more officers in communities throughout T&T as they seek to bring the criminal element to book for their actions.
“We are pushing different strategies and looking at different ways to inject more officers in strategic areas for impact and to get that grip on that criminal behaviour.
“We are not giving up any fight and we will be pursuing relentlessly the gangs and the people conducting these crimes,” Hackshaw added.
Breakdown of the murders
Yesterday:
Akiel “Ratty” Edwards and a man identified only as “Shem” gunned down at Pelican Extension, Morvant, just after 8 am.
Sunday:
Jamal Modeste and Mota Ali gunned down while liming at Barton Lane, Belmont, at about 9 pm.
Kylie James, 28, of Malabar, shot dead while at Reid Lane, D’abadie.
Father of one Dwayne “Kid” Callender, 29, shot while at a street party in the area. Callender, who lived at June Street, Lisas Boulevard, Couva, died while undergoing emergency treatment at the Chaguanas Health Facility.
Saturday:
Andre “Beenie” Prince, 40, was discovered dead after shots were heard at an abandoned three-story house at Sherwood Drive, Arima, around 2.45 am.
The body of 47-year-old gardener Anand “Chris” Singh was found in a drain near his Carlsen Field, Chaguanas home at about 6 am. Police said the body bore marks of violence and the case is being investigated by Homicide detectives.
David Ali was killed while at Cicada Drive, Diego Martin, around 4 pm by a man dressed as a Muslim woman, inclusive of hijab and a purdah (face covering). Police said the gunman walked up to Ali, removed a gun from a bag and shot him before escaping in a black X-trail. Police said Ali was known to them and was suspected of being involved in the murder of Abraham Simpson, who was killed in a drive-by shooting after attending a birthday party at a basketball court at River Estate, Diego Martin, on November 27.
Jonathan Gobin, 34, was shot dead while at Green Street, Tunapuna, around 9.45 pm. Gobin, who was originally from Laventille, was said to be living in Tobago for the past two years and had just recently returned to Trinidad.
Friday:
Businessman Ashram Ramnath, 32, was shot and killed by two men during an attempted robbery at his Chandernagore Old Road, Chase Village home around 3 am. Police said when Ramnath resisted he was fatally shot in the chest.
The body of Canadian citizen Vishnu Narine, 56, was found near the Ste Madeline Usine Pond around 7 am. He was said to be vacationing with relatives at Church Street, Charles Village. Police said they believe he was robbed as he was reported to have left on Thursday night to drop off a large sum of money at a business establishment in South.
At about 8.30 am in Marabella, Anderson Babwah, 24, of New Haven Avenue, was stabbed to death during a heated argument.
Shortly after noon, Kerwin Baptiste, 35, was shot dead at his home at Cipriani Avenue, Morvant. He was employed at the Ministry of Works and Transport.
In Tobago, at about 2.30 pm, the decomposed body of jeweller Doolalchan Lutchman was found in his home at Canoe Bay Road, Cove Estate. Lutchman’s body, police said, was tied with rope. He was originally from Trinidad.
In an unrelated incident, Collin Henry, 24, from Coconut Drive, Morvant, died at hospital from gunshots he sustained after a group of men ambushed him and his cousin Aaron Warner, 31, at the NP gas station in Barataria. Warner is still listed in a serious condition at hospital.
