Swift work

WE PRAISE law enforcement authorities for making swift progress in relation to this week’s discovery of suspicious devices at the Government Parkade on Richmond Street, Port of Spain.

Amid all of the pressure on officers to perform, it is easy to lose sight of instances when good work is done. Therefore we take this opportunity to praise the authorities and, at the same time, call on them to make similar progress when it comes to several outstanding matters of public importance.

It should be observed, however, that it is early days yet. And while an individual has been held and has been assisting the police with their investigation, several strands of the inquiry remain ongoing. The items found at the Parkade have been sent to the Forensic Science Centre to be carefully analysed and tested.

Investigators are also reviewing CCTV footage from inside the complex in order to tie up loose ends and piece together a timeline of events.

We take this opportunity to also praise the security guards on duty at the Parkade this week as well as staff of the Urban Development Corporation of TT who did their best to report the matter when it first arose.

According to media reports, guards found smoke coming from a small, square device with wires running across the surface. It had been placed near the entrance of an elevator.

They called in the fire service, who in turned called in the police bomb technicians, who took the device into custody. The second device was found later that day.

It is hoped that in coming days all the pieces of the puzzle will come together, one way or another, and the public will be able to rest assured that the authorities have gotten to the bottom of the matter.

Meanwhile, we also turn attention to the case of Sheldon Small, 29, of Garth Road, Williamsville, who appeared before Magistrate Lisa Singh-Phillip on Thursday charged with making a false report about a weapon that could cause mass destruction.

The charge is that on October 3, he communicated information, which he either knew or believed to be false, that a lethal device or weapon of mass destruction was about to be detonated in Chaguanas, with the intention of inducing a belief that the said device or weapon of mass destruction is present in TT. The charge was laid by PC Calliste of the Special Branch according to the Anti-Terrorism Act.

As Monday’s events at the Parkade demonstrate, we live in a time when we cannot be frivolous when it comes to public safety. Which is why we welcome the State’s decision to pursue the case against Small, whose guilt or innocence will now be determined by a court of law.