One arrested in Trotters robbery

ONE PERSON has been arrested in connection with a robbery at the Trotters Restaurant, Maraval Road, Port of Spain on November 7.

In a news release on November 9, the police service said highway patrol officers on a roving exercise in Port of Spain were called to a robbery in progress at the restaurant.

When they arrived, they were told a suspect had fled on foot toward the Queen’s Park Savannah. They searched the area and apprehended someone matching the description of the suspect.

The man, a 21-year-old from Jojo Lane, El Socorro, was arrested and taken to the Port of Spain CID.

Trotters’ owner Peter George, in a phone interview on November 9, told Newsday the robbery occurred around 10.30 pm, when the restaurant was in  closing-down mode.

“It seemed to be a crime of opportunity, a soft-target situation. People were wrapping up, there were three or four cars in the parking lot, and they may have seen the fact that the transportation vehicles were outside.

“There were three or four young people, opportunistic, unprofessional.
"They came in and got a couple of cellphones, a couple of pieces of small jewellery.
"Neither staff nor customers were hurt. The seven or eight customers who were there were more annoyed than traumatised.”

George said he would be replacing the stolen items as much as possible. He said security would be enhanced at the restaurant, including more lighting.

“It’s been 23 years without an incident, and it’s very disheartening that this has happened.
"Our security consultants are working on boosting the security. The cameras, etc, we had in place helped the police to capture the suspect.”

He said there had been previous reports of suspicious activity which had been reported to the St Clair police, who had been called, but the people had disappeared by the time they arrived.

George said the police responded incredibly quickly and did a sensational job in capturing at least one robber quickly.

“It doesn’t take away from the fact that we have a crippling problem in the country that is certainly hampering not just business, but our everyday way of life. We do have an absolute crisis in the country, and it’s not getting any better.”