In two police exercises over the weekend involving officers of the Northern Division and North-Eastern Division, two firearms were seized and 18 people were arrested.
In the Northern Division, police said a 41-year-old man was held around 6 am yesterday with a loaded .38 pistol in his Toyota Corolla car. Officers under the supervision of Insp Mark Maharaj and Sgt Pitt, and including Constables Halls, Scipio and St Clair, were on patrol when they stopped the man. Police said the man began acting suspiciously when he saw them. When they searched the vehicle, police found a Taurus pistol and 15 rounds of ammunition.
Police said as part of their anti-crime operations, they went to the Maloney Housing Scheme on Friday night and arrested ten men for various offences. The men were held in different apartments at Building 16. The exercise was done between 2 pm and 6 pm and included officers from the Northern Division Task Force, Maloney Police Station and the Canine Unit.
On Friday night, North-Eastern Division officers held seven people for various offences in the Upper Santa Cruz area. Following the shooting death of 30-year-old Akini Ramadeen last Wednesday, the police presence in the area has been increased.
Officers of the North-Eastern Division, including Sgt Paul, Sgt Taylor, Cpl Forbes and Gordon, along with Constables Stafford, Garcia, Dass, and WPC Winchester, were on an exercise at Moraldo Trace, Upper Sam Boucaud, Santa Cruz. Six men were held in connection with shooting incidents in the area. A 32-year-old man was also held with a loaded 9mm in his waist. Police said the man was walking along the roadway when he began acting suspiciously on seeing the lawmen. When he was searched, police found a gun with an extended magazine and five rounds of ammunition on him.