POLICE arrested 172 people between Friday night and early yesterday, 56 of them for breach of curfew including 11 women, and 36 on charges of drunk driving.
Twenty-two suspects, ranging between ages 24 and 41, were held by Southern Division officers while liming outside Charlie’s Bar along Pointe-a-Pierre Road, San Fernando.
Police said they were conducting a series of exercises within the division when they spotted the limers outside the bar. They were taken to the San Fernando Police Station and charged with the offence.
That exercise was spearheaded by ACP Fitzroy Fredericks and Snr Supt Deodath Dulalchan of the Southern Division.
Gasparillo police, under Insp Gosine, also arrested six men for breach of curfew while two other men were held by Marabella police for the same offence.
Also in Vistabella, officers of the Southern Division Task Force headed by Sgt Norbie, detained a 28-year-old man from Cocoyea Village, allegedly with a home made shotgun in his trouser pocket.
The man was held by police while walking along Jarvis Street in Vistabella. He was taken to the San Fernando Police Station where he was charged with the offence by WPC Crawford of the Task Force.
Three men were also arrested by officers of the Marabella-based Crime and Suppression Unit (CSU) on charges of being in possession of marijuana and cocaine.
The men were held during several exercises conducted in St Margaret’s and Marabella between 3 p.m. and 11.30 p.m. on Friday by CSU officers led by Cpl Prescott.
In an unrelated exercise in the North Eastern Division late on Friday, 20 suspects, among them five women, who were on their way to various curfew parties, were arrested and charged by police with breach of curfew.
The suspects were rounded up in San Juan, Barataria and Morvant between 11.30 p.m. and 1.30 a.m. by officers of the North Eastern Division Task Force who were on mobile patrol.
Two other men were held by officers earlier in the day on Friday with close to half kilogramme of compressed marijuana along Adjoda Street, in El Socorro. The exercise was spareheaded by Supt John Daniel and led by Sgt Cornelius Samuel and Cpl Darryl La Pierre and involved Cpls Titre, Daniel, Williams and PCs Duncan, Sandy, Ali and Voisin of the Task Force.
In Woodbrook, police arrested 11 persons, three for breach of curfew; six for drunk driving; one for obscene language and another suspect for possession of marijuana.
Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Anti-Crime Operations, Mervyn Richardson, said the police intend to get tough on curfew violators, many of whom have been making a mockery of the law.
He said officers have recognised a trend where persons wait for the last minute to make their way to and from parties which often resulted in them being on the roadway after curfew restrictions take effect. This type of lawlessness, he said, will not be tolerated by police.
Richardson said, “It is not the intention of the police just to lock up people who we see out on the roadway during curfew hours, but, we have a duty to enforce the law and that is exactly what we have been doing and will continue to do.
“We want people to understand the seriousness of being outdoors during curfew hours and the implications they could have. Too often we have been observing incidents where people were taking risks to head off to curfew parties and this must be stopped.
He added, “If you wish to attend a party somewhere then you need to be there on time and we also observe that people would leave clubs and bars which are in curfew restricted areas, mere minutes before the curfew takes effect and we again say that this practice must stop,” Richardson said.
“We will be adopting a very strong approach against persons who seek to violate the curfew laws because an example must be set that it is not to be taken for granted or as a joke,” Richardson said. He also expressed serious concern regarding motorists who are driving under the influence of alcohol.
Meanwhile, Eastern Division officers, during an exercise in Sangre Grande between Friday night and early yesterday, arrested 11 people on charges of drunk driving.
Among those detained are a prisons officer, a fire officer, an Airports Authority officer and a security guard employed with Amalgamated Security Services.
Police said the suspects were arrested by police shortly after leaving several bars and nightclubs. Officers said they all tested over the legal driving limit of alcohol.
The exercise, which was coordinated by Snr Supt Hetliff George, Supt Hendron Moses and ASP Neville Sanker, is aimed at reducing the carnage on the roadways.
Officers said they have adopted a zero tolerance approach to errant motorists, particularly those driving under the influence of alcohol, given the increase in road traffic accidents and fatalities on the roadways.
Also involved in the exercise were Sgt Harridath Sookdeo and PCs Liston Billy, David Ottley, Damien Miranda, Harridath Seebaran and Vishwanath Sanker of the Eastern Division.
