Criminals have no resting place in Central says Snr Supt Jason Forde, the new man in charge of the Central Division. Forde promised to get cracking on the job to ease the crime woes plaguing the bustling central borough.
Forde, ACP Cecil Santana and senior police officers met with Chaguanas Mayor Gopaul Boodhan and Richie Sookhai, the president of the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce, on Friday. Forde replaces Snr Supt Johnny Abraham, who was moved to the Port-of-Spain Division following the 2015 general election.
Forde said, "I recalled that Sir Robert Peale, the father of modern policing, said that the police is the people and the people are the police. Crime wherever it occurs cannot be anything that is good for any community and individual.
"I am here as part of a team, I am no superman. I am happy to let you know that we have pledged to work as part of a team to eradicate crime wherever crime decides to rear its ugly head. Criminals have no resting place in Central Division. The momentum was started by Snr Supt Abraham. I certainly believe in communication, I believe in conciliation, but I abhor crime, I abhor criminal behaviour. Anywhere criminals decide they want to find a resting place we are going to go after them."
When asked how soon the police would be establishing a police post in the crime-riddled community of Enterprise, ACP Santana said he was not in a position to say if or when a police post would be established in Enterprise.
Santana said the ag Commissioner of Police was aware that a request had been made and he would be making a decision shortly.
Mayor Boodhan said he was giving the police his fullest co-operation. Boodhan said, "We had discussions centred around the safety and security for the burgesses, residents and visitors to Chaguanas. Safety and security are one of the four pillars for the development of Chaguanas."
Boodhan said the meeting saw the setting up of an inter-agency security team which was expected to meet in a week's time to hold discussions. He said issues of traffic management and street vending were also discussed.
Sookhai said the upsurge of murders in some of the key areas of Chaguanas painted a gloomy picture. Sookhai said the business community was willing to work with the police since they were concerned about the exorbitant levels of street vending taking place during Christmas and the high level of traffic in the area.