By Sue-Ann Wayow
SEVERAL persons were arrested over the weekend for varying offences including larceny, gang relation and possession of camouflage clothing.
The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) also reported that seven illegal firearms were seized by officers in various anti-crime exercises across Trinidad and Tobago between Thursday and Sunday.
The latest finds were made by officers of the North Central Division during ongoing anti-crime exercises, conducted in the Tunapuna district early Sunday. Officers conducted the exercise around 12.30 am, during which they conducted a search of a bushy area where they discovered a firearm loaded with a magazine containing 10 rounds of ammunition.
The same party of officers continued their searches and subsequently found one Taurus pistol loaded with a magazine containing two rounds of ammunition. During the exercise, a 27-year-old man of Belmont was arrested for possession of camouflage clothing, while a 21-year-old of Curepe was detained in connection with gang-related offences.
The exercise included officers of the North Central Task Force, Areas West and East and the Canine Branch.
Five held for larceny
The TTPS also reported that five people were held for larceny.
In the first incident, a male victim reported that his silver Nissan Almera motor vehicle was stolen in the Tacarigua district around 3.30 pm, on Thursday.
Officers of the Arouca Crime Patrol Unit, acting on information, proceeded to Windy Hill, Arouca, where they recovered the vehicle and arrested a Lopinot man in connection with the incident.
On Saturday, following a report of shop-breaking and larceny in the Lower Santa Cruz district officers of the San Juan Criminal Investigations Department (CID) conducted investigations, which resulted in the arrest of a 68-year-old man of no fixed place of abode.
In a separate incident, a 19-year-old suspect of St Joseph was arrested by officers of the San Juan CID, shortly after a victim reported that she was robbed of her cellular phone around 11.30 am, also on Saturday.
In another incident, officers of the Barataria Police Station were conducting an anti-crime exercise in the St Augustine district, when they held a 56-year-old man of Malick in connection with a report of housebreaking and larceny in the Mt Lambert district.
And, in the Southern Division, a 22-year-old man of La Romaine was held by officers shortly after a female victim made a report of larceny of a cellular phone at a mall. Detectives acting on information, proceeded to another mall, where they held the male suspect and recovered the stolen phone.
Investigations are ongoing into all the incidents.
The TTPS is urging all business owners and citizens to take the necessary precautions to make themselves and their property hard targets against criminals.
