AG denies 'standoff' between guards, cops at Grande court

Attorney General Faris Al -Rawi on Tuesday afternoon denied reports that Eastern Division police refused to submit to searches by court security guards.

Responding to questions from opposition senator Wade Mark about the alleged refusal of the police to be searched, resulting in a slowdown of court processes, Al-Rawi said there was no merit to such reports.

"It has always been part and parcel that all persons entering the court were subject to being searched, including police officers," he said.

Al-Rawi said he had spoken to a senior administrator at the court and was told the reports were untrue.

He also said the policy of searching police entering the court had been in place for some time as a result of "security threats."

Newsday also spoke to Eastern Division police, who insisted the majority of police were not complying with the instructions of MTS security guards assigned to the Sangre Grande court.

One senior officer also questioned the thinking behind the policy, claiming that once they had been searched, police officers were being allowed to enter the court with their guns.

"It's still a stand-off. I still don't understand why they are searching the police when they allow them to go in the courts with their firearms anyway.

"It is still a standoff. It's a big concern to all of us," he said.

Another officer said a meeting between senior police and executives of the MTS security company was expected to take place on Wednesday.