Deputy Police Commissioner Jack Ewatski is urging members of the public wanted on warrants and other court matters to come forward and deal with their issues. Ewatski was speaking with reporters at the Laventille Road Police Youth Club's first anniversary peace walk at Laventille Road, San Juan, yesterday. The club held the peace walk from Laventille Road to the basketball court. There were sporting and cultural events as well as fete matches and live entertainment at the event. Ewatski said the police would be more focused on criminal activity such as gangs, guns and drugs.
"We want to focus on individuals wanted on warrants," he said in an interview broadcast on CNC3 News last night. "We need to take these people who decide to live outside society's rules and build on that and deal with them and hold them accountable. "We are trying to stabilise and ensure that we work to build sustainability and stability. "Anybody who disregards a warrant or any court order must take personal responsibility. We will take on people with serious offences and multiple warrants at this time. "People want to make T&T a safer place and people have to take personal responsibility. If it is a minor thing such as a traffic issue, come and take care of that yourself... I would urge you to come forward and take care of that issue yourself.
"It is everybody's responsibility to make T&T safer," Ewatski said. He said this accountability by citizens would make the country more secure. "We need to work and be more focused on people creating havoc and have them accountable through the courts," he said. "We have a focused approach by putting things together and work with intelligence." Ewatski said it was necessary to recognise the hard work of members of the protective services working under National Security. "Everybody is working hard to get to the point of stability. All our women and men in the protective service, prisons officers and Customs work hard to get to the point of stability," Ewatski said.
ASP Curtis Paul, leader of the youth club, said: "There is the need to get the community more involved.
"We continue to grow in strength and progress and work is needed with the community," he added. Meanwhile, police said a fight that broke out minutes before the peace walk on Laventille Road was not connected with members of the Laventille Road Police Youth Club. Eyewitnesses said a row among members of a family living on Laventille Road triggered the fight. It stopped as police officers quickly responded.