(Trinidad Guardian) At least 15 members of three major gangs remained in police custody up to last evening, after a series of raids in and around Port-of-Spain.
Police sources said the raids, described as a “gang sweep”, were done in response to several shootings and murders in Belmont and St Ann’s within the last several days.
Police said the exercises began just after 12 am on Thursday, as officers descended on several parts of east Port-of-Spain, Laventille, Beetham and Sea Lots, rounding up the suspects.
The suspects, including a man believed to be the leader of the Sixx gang, remained at police stations across Trinidad.
Those arrested, sources said, are suspects in several murders, shootings and robberies and are expected to be placed on identification parade.
Police sources were unable to confirm a final figure of the number of people held, as the searches and arrest of further suspects continued late into yesterday afternoon.
The team of officers involved in the exercises included those from the Belmont Police Station; Besson Street Police Station, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), the Guard and Emergency Branch (GEB), the Criminal Gang and Intelligence Unit and members of the T&T Regiment.
The exercise was sanctioned by Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher and led by DCP Intelligence and Investigations Curt Simon, ACP Crime Kent Ghisyawan and ACP Tactical Support Kelvern Thompson.
Contacted for comment on the scope of the exercises yesterday, a senior officer said the arrests were made on the basis of intelligence gathered several months earlier, but noted that the recent uptick in murders in the Port-of-Spain division had prompted the police to respond more urgently with the widespread arrests.
“This is something that would have been in works for quite some time but it takes time to gather intelligence and information. However, the recent violence seen would have caused us to hasten a response,” the officer said.
“We are doing something to stop this bloodshed and it is intended to be a message to the gangs that they are not in control. We, the police, are still very much in control.”
The officer said the police were prepared to continue the exercises for “as long as possible”, as their presence is expected to increase into the Christmas and Carnival seasons.
Also approached for a comment at a graduation ceremony for the St James Police Youth Club’s EnvironMentor360 Mentees programme at the US Embassy’s compound at Briar Place, Sweet Briar Road, Port-of-Spain, yesterday, CoP Harewood-Christopher acknowledged that the raids had occured, saying their success was “plenty good news.” She also promised that officers would continue similar exercises to root out the criminals.
