March 24, 2020

Top CoP Expects a Shift In Crime Towards Home Invasions

By Newsroom

A special Operations Command Centre (OCC) to deal specifically with the Covid-19 crisis has been established by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. This, as Police Commissioner Gary Griffith anticipates “an expected shift in criminal activity towards home invasion and larceny. It is meant “to centralize operations specifically related to COVID-19 and all related and off shoot threats”, the top cop said on Tuesday morning. In addition, Commissioner Griffith said he is aware that people are still congregating in large numbers and is calling on citizens “to utilize all forms of social media to report, post, take images of others in contravention of the new Public Health Ordinance Regulations.” The OCC will “manage and operate as a ‘Social Responsibility Call Centrewhere all calls, messages, images related to persons contravening the regulations are received and transferred to the relevant TTPS units; The CoP is also advising citizens that they can call 999 for an immediate response from the TTPS. “All 85 Emergency Response Patrol (ERP) vehicles, will be fully-equipped and be available to respond to these calls 24 hours a day. “In these unprecedented times, we are all encouraged to look out for each other, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of the partnership between the citizenry and the TTPS. “ I encourage persons to utilize all forms of communication as stated to share those who may be in contravention of the regulations, as we are all in this together. If you see something, say something, and we have provided three options.”
  1. a) The TTPS App. The CoP calls on citizens to use the Police Service App, “You see something, You Say Something”, to report persons who breach the regulations.
  2. b) 482-GARY. The CoP says that citizens can continue to send videos and photographs via WHATSAPP to 482-GARY.
  3. c) Persons can also contact 555 where reports will be received 24/7.
According to the Legal Notice 57, bars, cinemas, and racing pools, have been ordered closed. There will be no more church services, in-house dining at restaurants have been curtailed, and there will be no more congregating in groups of more than ten persons. Commissioner Griffith says there were reports that certain organizations have still not been adhering to the guidelines laid out, and encouraged gatherings of more than ten persons.    
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