Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday sent a clear message to criminals operating in Enterprise, Chaguanas, to deist from reprisal killings, adding that if this trend continued T&T will be on the “fringe of the jungle.”
The PM, who made the call at the opening of the $33 million St Joseph Police Station, said it had now become the norm for the newspapers to be plastered with headlines reflecting crime and violence.
His call for the killings to stop came after the latest incident in which police officers were accused of killing Enterprise resident Anton “Bready” Mitchell, 25, the second in command of the Unruly Isis Gang on Thursday.
Mitchell was allegedly killed after he opened fire on police officers who went to search his house. Hours later residents staged fiery protests and openly threatened the lives of police officers and their families.
Rowley said that every family who lost an individual either to a criminal act or to the police was exposed to pain and suffering.
“And that is where our country is right now. But the response cannot be...and I want to say to citizens in Enterprise the response cannot be retribution and a call to kill police members’ family so that they too can share the pain of a loss.
“And when we get to that stage we are now entering the fringe of the jungle and that can only create a worse environment.”
The PM also criticised the criminal elements for posting photos of themselves on social media “armed to the teeth” while there were police officers who were daily risking their lives.
“There are citizens who are prepared to have themselves photographed with illegal high-powered weapons and post that on Facebook to tell the country how armed they are and worse how ready they are to take on the State,” Rowley said.
He said while there was a whole lot the police could be blasted for, members of the public must realise it was a dangerous job, adding that those who needed the police must support them. To date there have been some 20 police killings.
But Rowley who described this as “a new statistic” said this must be seen in parallel with the many times police officers were shot at by criminals while in the line of duty.
He warned that police themselves were subject to the rule of law, urging that rogue officers be weeded out.
Speaking to members of the media after the function, acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams said the country could not be allowed to reach a state where it operated “by way of threats” meted out to law enforcement officials.
He said he was willing to meet with Enterprise residents and would be arranging that soon.
On the issue of body cameras, he said, there were about 39 which were mostly used by tactical officers including those of the Inter-Agency Task Force in the Central Division.
Regarding the incident involving Mitchell, Williams said he was advised that the officers involved in the exercise were wearing body cameras at the time. He said if any of the cameras had captured footage which could aid the probe then it would be effectively used.