24 September

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Chamber head laments 24 murders, poor policing: Tobago – Paradise lost

"A paradise lost" is how chairman of the Tobago Business Chamber Martin George described Tobago in the wake of two murders on the island over the weekend. He was speaking at the Citizens’ Summit on Crime and Violence at the TML grounds in St Joseph on Sunday, after Brandon Edwards was killed on Friday and Nicholas Mitchell was killed early on Sunday morning. “Tobago is now facing 23 murders and there was a murder in the last 24 hours again. The place that we used to say was 'safe,' the smallest division of the TTPS, apparently that is now being lost. It...

24 September

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Tobago Business Chamber wants a further police shake-up

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With another murder just days after the hierarchy of the Tobago Division of the T&T Police Service (TTPS) was changed, the chairman of the Tobago Business Chamber Martin George is calling for a further shake-up of the police on the island. George, who attended the Citizen’s Summit on Crime and Violence at the TML Hall, St Joseph, yesterday, said replacing acting ACP Collis Hazel and Snr Supt Rodhill Kirk with ACP Oswain Subero and Snr Supt Earl Elie two weeks ago was the first step in the right direction. “That is a start, definitely. You can’t keep doing the same thing over...

24 September

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Citizens speak out at symposium: People feel helpless against criminals

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Citizens spoke out against crime and criminality on Sunday at the Citizens’ Summit on Crime and Violence at the TML Grounds in St Joseph. There were presentations from a panel including former UNC MP Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie, Mirza Ali-Mohammed, chairman of the Tobago Business chamber Martin George, Ricardo Mohammed, Marva John Logan, Isa Mohammed and pastor Clive Dottin. Citizens then voiced their concerns about the crime situation and what they believed could be done about it. Economist Indera Sagewan said Trinidad and Tobago's people are voiceless and feel helpless, not just against crime but against those in authority. “When you say we have...

21 September

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Farley not hopeful Tobago will be treated well

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Tobago stakeholders are bracing for disappointment in the 2025 Budget, citing years of reduced allocations in comparison to their requests. Chief Secretary Farley Augustine yesterday said the island should expect another dose of unfair treatment when the fiscal package is delivered on September 30. “I am not hopeful that the budget measures will redound to the rebounding of the economy. Not hopeful that the measures he will present will provide for peace, safety and security for all. Not hopeful that the budget will cause citizens to hope for a brighter future. Not hopeful that Tobago will be treated well in the measures...

17 September

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Stakeholders on police shake-up: New strategies needed to tackle crime in Tobago

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STAKEHOLDERS on September 14 welcomed the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service’s decision to reassign to Trinidad the two most senior officers in the Tobago Division. They say although ACP Collis Hazel and Snr Supt Rodhill Kirk did their best in difficult circumstances to manage the island’s escalating crime situation, the nature of the scourge required a different, more aggressive approach. Tobago has to date recorded an unprecedented 22 murders for 2024. Hazel and Kirk, both of whom are from Tobago, were transferred to the Tactical Unit and Southern Division, respectively, as part of a promotion and reassignment exercise last week. They are...

17 September

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Tobago top cops removed in shake-up

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Acting Commissioner of Police Collis Hazel and Senior Supt Rodhill Kirk have been removed from their posts at the helm of the T&T Police Service’s Tobago Division. But while Hazel could not confirm the news yesterday, Kirk did, saying he had given crime-fighting efforts on the island his best try. In a phone interview, Kirk thanked Tobagonians for their support. He lamented, “Tobago is a unique division, meaning that to operate in the Tobago space, you have to have a level of the Tobago culture.” Kirk said he accepted the decision made by the TTPS administration and was contented that he’d done his best...

13 September

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George: Criminals laughing at TTPS efforts in Tobago

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In a stinging assessment of the crime situation in Tobago, chairman of the Tobago Chamber of Commerce, Martin George, says while criminals are “running rampant” the police seem “clueless and helpless.” He warned that the island could be “lost” if action isn’t taken soon. Commenting on the island’s murder count, which increased to 22 yesterday, George said the police are focusing on the wrong things. “If this is the best effort of the TTPS, then they are clearly failing in their job. They are failing in the job of making the nation safe and secure,” he said. “One does not feel any sense...

13 September

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ACP: Tobago safe for October carnival

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AS anticipation builds for October carnival, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Tobago Collis Hazel has said security and police on the island will be out in full force to ensure the safety of all. At a THA media conference on September 10 at Shaw Park, Hazel said his officers' preparedness for the event is “nothing strange,” and therefore citizens can expect positive results. He said serious crime was down and the police are finalising plans to keep a close watch on repeat offenders this carnival. “The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service works collaboratively with all our stakeholders in a multi-pronged approach, thereby...

03 September

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Stakeholders blast Venezuelan women for TTPS idea

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Anglican priest Reverend Eric Thompson’s call to recruit Venezuelan women into the police service is coming under heavy fire from former police commissioner Gary Griffith and former Police Service Commission (PolSC) member Martin George. Speaking at the St Thomas Anglican Church, Chaguanas, on Thursday during an interfaith service for women in the TTPS, Thompson suggested recruiting Venezuelan women into TTPS to help deal with the growing migrant population in T&T. “Striking a balance may mean the recruitment from Venezuela into the police service. Before we know it, we will have a migrant population from Venezuela that will be hard to infiltrate. “Maybe it...

25 August

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‘We need decisive action from TTPS’

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Tobago chamber: Island more murderous than Trinidad per capita...