Two officers commended for stopping robbery

TWO North Eastern Division police officers were commended on Thursday for going above and beyond the call of duty to hold a man who tried to rob a store in San Juan.

PCs Nicholas Slater and Suzanne Jeffers were presented with the commendations by acting DCP Jayson Forde at the Police Administration Building, Sackville Street in Port of Spain.

On August 17 a 43-year-old Curepe man, who had days earlier been released from prison after a 17-year jail term, was arrested for attempting to rob a Digicel outlet.

A video clip on social media showed a man dressed in black entering the store around 10.40 am. Staff and customers immediately scattered when he pulled out, what turned out to be, a toy gun. He then went to the cash register and ordered the two workers to hand over the money. As the workers were emptying the register, Slater entered the store and confronted the man who immediately surrendered. Jeffers entered a few seconds later and arrested the man.

Forde, in commending the officers, said the man promised after leaving prison that he had turned away from a life of crime.

“Today on behalf of the executive of the TTPS, we want to reward these two officers for going beyond the call of duty” Forde said.

One day after the arrest, Digicel in a media release applauded the police for their swift action in thwarted the robbery.