'SITTING DUCKS' FOR BANDITS – Penal residents, police react to brutal home invasion

FRUSTRATED by the granting of bail to criminals who are returned to the streets to commit more crimes, a senior police officer said TT's justice system is being made into a mockery.

In an interview with the Newsday on Wednesday, Snr Supt of the Southern Division Richard Smith said, “I think they are that they are making a mockery of the justice system, because we are in fact arresting persons on a regular basis, daily, weekly, monthly.

"People are going before the courts, getting bail, coming back out and committing ten more crimes before they are rearrested, go inside, get bail and come back out again.

“It is a cycle. It is quite sad because we are out there day and night trying to keep the place safe, but from the time there is any violent interaction with the police and it turns out bad for the other side, the police is viewed in a negative light.

“When these criminals commit any crime, nobody sees anything. Nobody is willing to turn over any video or any footage to us.

“On the other hand, whenever the police does something, everybody sees and everybody have a video to put on social media, showing the police in a negative light.

“We have to fight for our country. Too much rubbish is going on,” Smith said.

His comments followed an incident in which a Penal Rock Road business family was beaten and robbed by four bandits during a home invasion on Tuesday morning.

In the aftermath of the incident, residents told the Newsday they were scared for their lives.

The trauma for the family began sometime around 3 am while the family slept.

Rudely awakened by the armed bandits, members of the family were beaten and subsequently tied up as the bandits ransacked their home. They later sought medical attention.

After stealing cash, jewellery and other items, the bandits escaped with the family’s white Ford Ranger and a white Nissan Sylphy.

After the bandits left, a family member was able to alert the police and a chase ensued, resulting in the arrest of two occupants in the Sylphy who crashed  near a health centre.

The other two escaped in the Ford Ranger.

The family did not answer their phones when contacted, but a resident who spoke to the Newsday on the basis of anonymity said it was not the first incident of its kind in the area.

The resident related an incident where a man returned to his home after picking up his niece and nephew and found his front door locked from the inside. The homeowner said although he had  cameras and dogs to protect his property, the bandits were able to break in and steal his valuables.

In a second incident, a roti maker who left her home to attend the funeral of a relative returned to find her house cleaned out.

In June, Gabre Mahabir, 27, of Aster Street, Penal Rock Road, was at home with his wife and their four-year-old daughter when gunmen attacked. He was taken into a bedroom where he was tied and shot dead. The bandits escaped with jewellery, cash and cell phones.

Also in June, Narine "Rikki" Singh, a handyman from Charlo Village, Penal, did not see the gunman who pried open his window and fired several shots, killing him in his own bed as he slept next to his wife.

“The people of this community are frightened. We are afraid to leave our homes. We are unable to sleep comfortably. I am jumpy. Every time I hear a vehicle pass I wake up fearing the worst,” the fearful resident said.

Smith concurred there was an increase in home invasions, especially in rural communities, and that the elderly were the targets.

He said a new initiative would soon be launched for police to go out in the community to educate and inform people how to become hard instead of soft targets.

“If this plan fails, we are not stopping. We will continue the fight.”

In the southern division, Smith said, the police have been making some headway, as they have resorted charging suspects under the criminal gang legislation, which carries stiffer penalties.

Past president of the Penal Debe Chamber Rampersad Sieuraj said residents in his community are “sitting ducks.”

He said the homes of law-abiding citizens like himself had become burglar-proofed jails, while the bandits, who had become emboldened and empowered owing to the lack of consequences, were walking with blowtorches, cutting and entering and taking whatever they wanted.

Sieuraj called on the leaders of the nation to demonstrate the political will to strike fear into the hearts and minds of criminals.

“We are in crisis and we need crisis management,” he said pointing to the murder of orderly Marvin Safe, who was ambushed and murdered at his workplace, the Arima hospital, on Monday.

“This is the gravity of the situation we are facing, and the silence of the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Security is deafening.

“The population is helpless, the police is underresourced and undermanned. The police and judiciary are all ineffective in curbing this crime wave. None of these institutions are fully functioning, but you know which institution is fully functional?
"The one with the criminals. They are sitting behind bars in prison and calling a hit on you and me on the outside and we cannot do anything about it.”

He said more laws would not serve any useful purpose without implementation.

“We cannot be pussyfooting with these people, holding them, sending them to jail, getting bail and coming back out again to wreak havoc. What are the magistrates doing?" he asked.