Cops ready for whatever comes

UPDATE:

THE bloody showdown promised by warring gangsters after the Eid holiday today will be met with an equal show of force by a police and soldiers who have been assigned round the clock to Beetham and certain parts of East Port of Spain.

The first strike against crime in those areas began yesterday, but the protctive services were preparing for a more hardline approach which will begin on Friday night and will continue indefinitely. A large contingent of police and soldiers will be deployed in areas where the Muslim and Rasta City gang have been warring.

Sources said the policehave the names, photos and addresses of members of the Muslim and Rasta City gangs based in the Beetham estate, Laventille and East Port of Spain.

Yesterday senior officers, including soldiers, said they intend to ensure that any planned bloody showdown is quelled before it actually occurs.

“We are in charge. We are the members of the protective services. They must respect law and order and if they intend to bring further shame and uneasiness to this country they will suffer the consequences of their actions,” a member of the joint team of officers said yesterday.

The officer said, “The time has come for gang members to be told in no uncertain terms that they are not the bosses and with the anti-gang legislation assented to, officers will act accordingly”.

They said gang members have been allowed to snuff out the lives of victims for far too long and the time has come to flush them out and allow Laventille, Beetham, and other crime hot spots to breathe again.

ORIGINAL STORY:

The bloody showdown promised by warring gangs after the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday tomorrow will be met with an equal show of force by a large contingent of police and soldiers who have been assigned to provide around the clock presence at Beetham, and certain parts of East Port-of-Spain.

The first strike against crime in those areas began yesterday with a series of exercises and police are preparing for a tougher approach in their fight against criminals.

A large contingent of police and soldiers will be deployed in areas where the Muslim and Rasta City gangs have been warring and they have been given clear instructions to flush out the gangsters, arrest them and bring them to justice.