Cops issue over 200 notices in weekend covid sweep

Police from all nine of the country's divisions took action over the weekend by issuing 233 fixed penalty notices to people who did not wear face masks, according to figures published by the police on Monday.

The numbers were reported on the police Facebook account and contained information recorded from 6 am on Saturday to 6 am on Sunday.

It said Port of Spain division police issued 57 notices between the Central and Besson Street police station districts. The division with the second highest number of notices issued was the Central Division, with 22, 20 and eight notices issued between Chaguanas, Freeport and Longdenville.

Also in the Central division, 18 people were arrested for breaching the covid19 regulations. No one was arrested in any of the other police divisions.

Police also received a number of reports of people gathering in numbers over the maximum capacity at parties and limes, with nine reports made in the Northern Division and four in the Central Division during the 24-hour period.

Police only had cause to disperse one gathering, in San Francique Road, Penal, where they found a group of 25-30 people.

Last Wednesday National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds met with Police Commissioner Gary Griffith and other members of the police at the National Operations Fusion Centre, Knowsley, Port of Spain, where they discussed the role of law enforcement agencies in enforcing the covid19 public health regulations.