Young: 'Arrests came from good info'

Minister of National Security Stuart Young.

PHOTO:ANGELO M. MARCELLE
Minister of National Security Stuart Young. PHOTO:ANGELO M. MARCELLE

National Security Minister Stuart Young this morning said he was confident that patrols throughout Laventille, the Beetham and Sea Lots were made on good information and said the police knew who they intended to detain.

Speaking with reporters after a closing ceremony for the Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Training workshop at the Trinidad Hilton and Conference Centre, Young said, unlike the 2011 State of Emergency, the detainment of people from these exercises were done legally.

He said even if the people detained were not charged, there would be some merit to the operations conducted.

"I have heard some people call for limited States of Emergency, that's not what is being utilised on this occasion, what is being utilised are carefully planned operations which, as I keep saying, are intelligence-driven. We are using the law and that is exactly what the Commissioner is doing.

"There are different reasons you detain people, so even if you don't see immediate charges coming out of it that does not mean it wasn't successful. There are disruptive elements of an exercise, where you break up certain things, gather information but it's all for the end purpose of disrupting criminals."

Responding to reports that detained gang members were made to sign a peace order, Young denied these claims, saying he "knew nothing of that information."

"It certainly is not something that I have sanctioned or am even aware of."

He said the ministry together with the police were planning the operations weeks in advance and were aware of the people intended to be detained.

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