49 held in pre-dawn Beetham raids

Early-morning raids in Beetham Gardens yesterday resulted in the arrest of 49 residents, several of whom are wanted for questioning in connection with various murders in Port of Spain and environs.

The raids, which began at 3 a.m., were headed by Acting Commissioner of Police, James Philbert, and field operations were coordinated by acting DCP Gilbert Reyes, ACP John Travajo and Insp Sahadeo Singh.

Over 300 police officers from various units, including the Inter Agency Task Force, Guard and Emergency Branch, Special Anti Crime Unit and Divisional Task Force, were involved in the exercise, which ended around 10 a.m. Three women, aged 17, 26 and 42, of Hell Yard, Beetham, were among those held and are expected to appear before a Port of Spain magistrate later this week, charged with possession of four kilogrammes of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking. Over 500 grammes of cocaine was also found.

Raids were also conducted on 23rd, 24th and 25th Streets in Beetham, and six firearms, including four pistols, one shotgun, one revolver, along with five loaded magazines and 136 rounds of assorted ammunition, were seized.

In a media release, Philbert thanked persons who shared information with the police and pleaded with citizens to continue assisting the police.

Source: Trinidad Express

Saw some Beethamites on the TV today, complaining about how there is no justice for Beetham residents.
What about Vindra Naipaul? Where is the justice for her? What about Naail Ali? Where is the justice for him? Where is the justice for all the citizens who are robbed in traffic on the Beetham Highway? Why the residents don't complain then?

The residents were also complaining that the police used unnecessary force in their search and that their cellular phones stopped working. What else do you expect? The kind of attitude and behaviour that comes out the the Beetham is a far cry from civilised. Robbing people who are stuck in traffic. Is sorry I sorry for the ones who don't have A/C in their car, because once yuh in traffic in the Beetham, yuh have no choice but to roll up your windows, otherwise the chances of you getting robbed is very high. Then we have the issue of all the illegal firearms and ammunition that was found during the raid. You think the police should knock on the door an wait for them to hide everything?

And I must say kudos to the officers involved in this raid. You all did a fine job and handled the situation well. You did what you had to do to get the job done. Bravo!

Homicide rate predictions for 2009-10 - not looking good.

Click image to enlarge

According to this graph, the murder rate went down during the time the UNC was in power and skyrocketed upon the return of the PNM.
Here's an idea, maybe it had something to do with Manning meeting up with the crime lords and hailing them as community leaders. Maybe it had something to do with Manning's criminal infested election campaign. As I recall one Imam Yasin Abu Bakr, leader of the 1990 coup on T&T, said that Manning and the PNM took his help to win the 2002 general elections. I recall Bakr even saying Manning owes him. You all know who you have to blame when someone you know is brutally murdered.

Manning: No regrets over Tecia statements

There would be no apology by Prime Minister Patrick Manning on statements he recently made on the murder of ten-year-old Tecia Henry.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to the San Fernando Girls' Government School at Rushworth Street, San Fernando, yesterday, Manning said he had no regrets.

"I was just responding to commentators' impressions on the incident; whoever said anything else was just trying to be mischievous. And like anyone else, I condemn the death of any ten-year-old child.

"But I have no regrets for anything I do," he said.

Little Tecia, a pupil of St Rose's RC School in Port of Spain, was found strangled under a house at Block Eight, in Laventille, four days after she was reported missing.

At a PNM convention on June 21 at the Chaguaramas Convention Centre, Manning, in his address, referred to the murder of Tecia and told the audience that he wished he could reveal the facts relating to the murder of the child but could not.

He said they too knew the facts surrounding the case and urged them not to take it at face value.

His comments drew wide criticism from members of the public, and residents of John John-where the little girl lived-demanded an apology.

Source: Trinidad Express

Why should Manning apologise if it is the truth? Collateral damage is collateral damage and if there is more to the murder of 10 year old Tecia Henry than meets the eye doh vex!
Maybe Mr. Big had a hand in it...and up to now Manning can't say who Mr. Big is.