Northern Division officer promises safer Arima with additional police, army patrols

Senior police in the Northern Division are promising that the borough of Arima will be better policed with additional resources being directed to suppress crime.

The promise was made by Snr Supt Kerwin Francis of the Northern Division, in response to concerns over safety, after 32-year-old businessman Drew Kowlessar was shot dead at the drag mall on Queen Street, Arima, near Detour on January 10.

Police said Kowlessar's killers wore police tactical clothing and camouflage uniforms ,and also escaped in a black Nissan X-Trail outfitted with blue strobe lights.

In response, Francis admitted that at the time of the murder several patrols were away from the borough on other operations, but maintained that such violent crimes were uncommon in the commercial centre as the police closely monitored the district.

"That event wasn't an event that we regularly see in the town centre, because the town centre is heavily policed. Unfortunately, at the time, we had a number of patrols out in the district, but none of the patrols were in that area where that homicide took place.

“Given the intelligence we had, the patrols were focusing on those other areas where we had a number of reports of other serious reported crimes."

In order to discourage criminals from planning further attacks, Francis said the Arima police would also be supported by officers from various other agencies and units.

"We have increased the number of patrols in the Arima district with the assistance of the army as well as supported by other divisions and branches of the police service including the IATF, the Guard and Emergency Branch, the Human Resource Branch, the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau and the Fraud Squad. So we do have additional patrols in and around the Arima station district and other districts in Northern Division."

Francis said while he could not confirm whether the uniforms used by the killers were issued by the police and regiment or replicas, as none of the clothing was seized, the Homicide Bureau of Investigations as part of its enquiry would have to find out more.