Police: No tolerance for people ignoring covid19 rules

DCP of operations, Anthony James warned the public that a “no tolerance approach” will be taken to enforce covid19 rules set by government.

This approach, James said, will be meted out especially to those who continue to frequent bars despite explicit orders not to.

At the weekly police press briefing held at the police administration building in Port of Spain, James said some people did not seem to understand that the regulations were put in place for their own protection.

“One recognises that covid19 is indeed a crisis and we have been mandated to ensure that this crisis does not turn into a catastrophe. We have been engaging with people on different fronts to have people adhere to the regulations. But we are having a task with dealing with people who are in themselves seriously intent on frequenting the bars, liming outside the bars and creating the sort of disruption that we are trying to avoid.”

James said the police will be using the resources at their disposal, including the virtual ticket machines, to target beaches and bars and ensure that people comply with the covid rules.

In the past two months, police have issued more than 1,573 tickets and have arrested 78 people for breaching public health regulations.

For the Christmas season, James said police will be partnering with the public along with the TTDF and private security firms, to ensure all are protected.

This, especially as police acknowledge a spike in the number of home invasions.

“We have put together structured patrols to treat with residential areas,” James said. “One would recognise that foot patrols have been absent in some areas. We intend to target these areas.”

James also said a sensitisation campaign will also be launched to educate the public on the new resources of the TTPS like the TTPS app, and to teach people target hardening.