BEETHAM RESIDENTS THREATEN TO BLOCK ROAD TODAY By Alexander Bruzal Monday, January 27 2014 Commuters are being warned to brace for heavy traffic and to exercise caution today, along the Priority Bus Route (PBR) and the Beetham Highway as disgruntled residents may take to the roadways to protest, following a shooting incident yesterday morning with police officers that left one man injured. In light of the shooting, and other “injustices” which residents alleged they have endured, yesterday morning, parts of the PBR and east bound lane of the highway were blocked off. However, the combination of minimal vehicles along the thoroughfare at that time, and the swift response of police officers from the Besson Street Police Station, the Inter-Agency Task Force, and the Guard and Emergency Branch, resulted in the roadways being quickly cleared, and there being minimal impact to traffic. Despite this, police officers kept a continuous presence along the highway throughout the day — and up to press time — in an attempt to ensure that the peace was maintained, and that commuters were not disrupted by further actions by residents. Minister of National Security Gary Griffith, speaking with Newsday yesterday, said officers from the National Security Operations Centre (NSOC) had been called in to bolster the police force to ensure there were “minimal disruptions” to traffic flow today. Griffith said the NSOC were not taking any chances, and they wanted to ensure “law and order” prevailed at the Beetham communities, in case there were further protests planned today. He said, in addition to police officers who are on mobile patrol along the highway, there will be officials from the NSOC who will maintain a “round the clock” presence, effective today. Police reported at about 9am, two officers were on mobile patrol along the west bound lane of the Beetham Highway when upon reaching the vicinity of the entrance to the Beetham Landfill, they noticed an individual who was “known to them.” The officers slowed down their vehicle, and the suspect allegedly began throwing rocks at the car. The officers reportedly exited the vehicle and called on the suspect to surrender himself, however, they claim he continued to throw rocks at the policemen. It was at this point one of the officers drew his firearm and, after warning the suspect an additional time, opened fire, hitting him once in his leg. Police reported as they were attempting to place the injured man in the vehicle to carry him to the hospital, they observed they were being approached by a group of irate residents, and as a result, they called for assistance, and the injured man was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. It was during this time it was reported residents attempted to block off the highway, as well as parts of the PBR, but the swift actions of the police prevented the escalation of this action. However, residents of the area claim that the man who was shot, was a victim, and that he was “unfairly targeted” by the police. “The same man who shot him, has been harassing him for weeks now. The police say they know him? Yes they know him! It is them self who take him up unjustly and arrest him and had him in custody over the Christmas holidays away from his family. And since then the same officer harassing him! “But forgetting all that was done in the past, you see what happened today, is unfair and unjust. The man was walking along the road not troubling nobody, and they stop and harass him. Then they shoot him. Fine. We didn’t hear what was going on, couldn’t see everything going on. So they shoot him. But you see what we get upset with? What really tripped us over the edge? Was the fact that after you shoot the man, and he lying on the ground, bleeding and in pain, you go victimise him so?” said one man who gave his name as Jacob. In an interview with the media yesterday, Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams said the TT Police Service had put a system in place to address the protests which had taken place along the highway. While he did not go into details of what the system was, he did say mobile patrols were a key factor in monitoring the situation. “There are systems in place to monitor the situation today, and tomorrow (Monday). And while we will do all we can do, one must recognise that the police cannot change the community itself, or determine when the community will decide to protest. The community doesn’t protest when one citizen is killed by another citizen. So since we cannot change the community itself what we have to do is work with them to effectively police the community, and we are doing this with all the communities in this country,” Williams noted. newsday.co.tt/news/0,189779.html
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 02:40:55 +0000
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